Heartlessness
by Gaara's Little Girl
Summary: When Sarah wishes her baby brother away to the Goblin Kingdom, things don't exactly go as planned; Toby is lost in the inbetween and Sarah is stuck in the castle with the heartless, sarcastic and utterly infuriating Jareth. Joy. Slightly OOC
1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**** Hey everyone! Okay, so I wrote this story with one of my very best friends, but neither one of us have written Labyrinth fanfiction before, so please be gentle. Hopefully you'll enjoy this, and if you do, PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE REVIEW!**

**Disclaimer: ****We do not own Labyrinth or any of the characters mentioned here (except for Iris).**

**This chapter was written by: **_**Gaara's Little Girl  
><strong>_

Chapter One

The sound of rain beating against the window panes set up a steady rhythm as the wind howled and screamed outside. Sarah watched the storm from her bedroom window, her eyes glittering with every lightning flash, and her heart pounding with the thunder. She imagined herself down by the river on the outskirts of town, dancing between the huge rocks lining the riverside, and beneath the bridge as the Goblin King and his subjects watched, enthralled. She closed her eyes, drifting into her imagination, smiling softly to herself as she enjoyed the peace of the moment.

A sudden crash snapped her back to reality, and Sarah turned to see her half-brother Toby sitting in a pile of books, which had fallen to the burgundy-carpeted floor when he had tipped over the bookcase. The wails of the infant rivaled the screeching of the storm, and Sarah covered her ears.

"Toby, shut up!" she hissed, glaring at the boy. She stood, and picked him up, wincing as his cries grew louder. Sarah reached into her pocket, and quickly shoved Toby's pacifier into his mouth. Toby immediately spit it back out, and continued to cry. Sarah sighed in frustration and put her brother down in his crib.

"Stupid kid," she muttered, sitting back down at her desk and turning away from him. "Why can't you just disappear?"

Toby whimpered and started shaking the bars on the crib. Sarah groaned and put her hands over her ears, trying to ignore the throbbing of her temples. It had been this way all night. She had tried rocking him, giving him toys to play with and feeding him, but nothing worked. The instant the storm had started, Toby had started bawling uncontrollably. Sarah had only just gotten him to stop crying when he tipped the bookcase over. It was ironic really, Toby was terrified of loud noises, but he never stopped screaming. Sarah turned to him, irritated.

"Toby, be quiet! Will you please just stop it? I'll tell you a story if you do, just shut up!"

Toby continued wailing and Sarah picked him up, rolling her eyes.

"Fine, be that way. Once upon a time, there was a girl, who's mom ran off and left her with her father, who decided to marry some stupid tramp who got pregnant the minute she walked through the front door. The tramp had a baby boy, and then she and the girl's father decided to go on a three week cruise and leave the girl all alone with the stupid baby, who wouldn't shut up. Finally, the girl got so annoyed, that she threw the baby out of the window! The end! There, wasn't that a nice story?" she finished, glaring at Toby. A flicker of a thought crossed her mind, and she smiled coldly at the baby.

"Or maybe, I'll just give you away to the goblins. Would you like that Toby? Do you want to go away to live with the goblin king?"

Toby whimpered, and Sarah put him back down, sighing. She walked away and pressed her forehead against the cold window pane again, staring out into the storm swept night.

"I wish the goblins would just take you away!" she murmured bitterly, "Right now!"

The lights in the house flickered and died. Sarah groaned. Another power outage. And her brother was still screaming.

"Toby, stop it! It's just a stupid power failure-"

Sarah was cut off as the door to her room suddenly slammed shut. She swallowed hard and stood up, walked over to Toby's crib and picked him up. He stopped crying, favoring a soft whimper instead as he buried his wet face in her chest. Sarah cradled him, staring at the door. The room was silent, other than the sound of the storm outside. Sarah sighed. It was just the wind, she told herself. Nothing but the wind. A strong wind. Inside the house.

Sarah relaxed slightly, and let out a soft laugh. She was being ridiculous. It was just a coincidence that the lights had gone out right after her wish. Besides, goblins didn't exist, and no burglars were stupid enough to be running around in a storm. She was perfectly safe.

The sound of a barn owl screeching cut through the silence, and Sarah turned around, heart racing. For a second, she was facing the window, staring out into the stormy night sky. Then, there was a flash of lightning. She blinked and suddenly a young man was standing before her, a cold smirk on his face. He was tall, with long white-blonde hair, and glittering blue eyes. He wore long sleeves, and tight black pants, and his cape which was tattered and thin, glimmered, the color shifting between dark purple and black in the moonlight.

Sarah stepped away from him, swallowing hard. The regal looking man smiled, his cold eyes still fixed on her face.

"You," she whispered.

"Me," he said simply, his voice tinged with amusement. "And I must say, Sarah, it is so good to see you at last… face to face,"

"I don't want you here!"

The man ignored her, his cold eyes moving from Sarah's face to Toby's, and his smile widened slightly. Sarah held her brother closer to her chest, ignoring his muffled squeals.

"Y-you can't take him!" she said, her voice faltering slightly.

"I'm afraid I don't have any choice," the man replied, his voice soft and cool, like running water. Sarah could feel tears burning at her eyes.

"But I didn't mean to call you!"

"Oh, you didn't? Pity. Well, I'm here now. It's a bit late to be changing your mind now Sarah. Give me the child,"

"No!" she almost screamed. She turned to run, but suddenly the man was in front of her again. She stepped away, tears slowly starting to roll down her cheeks.

"Please," she whispered, her light brown eyes searching the older man's deep blue ones. "Please. Y-you can't take him away from me,"

He stared at her for a moment, his expression blank and distant. And then, just as suddenly as he had come, he was gone again. Sarah sighed and felt the muscles in her shoulders relax.

An arm clad in black suddenly wrapped itself tight around her waist, and Sarah felt Toby being wrenched out of her arms from behind. She screamed and turned around in time to see the man climbing out of the window. Without thinking, Sarah launched herself at him, wrapping her arms around his throat and digging her fingers into his cheeks and shoulders as they went crashing through the glass.

Suddenly, everything was spinning, and a whirl of reds, yellows and oranges flashed past. The world had disappeared, and Sarah could feel nothing but an invisible wind whipping past her face, and the writhing of the man beneath her as he struggled to throw her off. But Sarah refused to let go. She held an arm around his throat as she fought him with her free hand, alternatively scratching and reaching out for her baby brother. She could feel the man's blood running down her fingers as her fingernails slashed across his throat and face, but she did not care. He was screaming something at her, but she could barely make out his voice over the wind.

As she reached one hand out across the man's body, reaching for Toby, she felt her fingers connect with something hard and thin. As she gripped it, she realized it was the handle of a small, stone knife, and with one swift movement she pulled it from its sheath and slammed it hard into the man's side and tearing a long gash into the flesh of his stomach.

Several things happened at once. The man screamed and his entire body convulsed. Sarah lost her grip and for a tenth of a second she was falling. A pale hand reached down towards her and she grabbed it, just as she saw Toby drop past her and into the wild red abyss.

Sarah screamed and reached out for her brother, but the man was already pulling her back towards him, holding her close to his chest. She struggled to push him away, clawing at his face and arms as she tried to reach the place where her brother had disappeared. She could feel the man's warm blood trickling down her back, and his hot breath on the back of her neck.

"Sarah stop it! Stop! There's nothing you can do to help him now! He's gone!"

The words echoed in her head, and Sarah felt her body go limp. Blinded by tears she turned and started scratching at the man again. But the fight had gone out of her, and her head fell against his chest as she cried.

Almost as suddenly as it had started, the whirlwind of color came to an abrupt halt. Sarah felt herself slip out of the man's grasp, and her head slammed into something cold and hard. For a second, she saw several small, grimacing faces looming over her, before her vision flickered and went black.

**Author's Note: ****Let us know what you think! Please review!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Author's Note:**** Hi! Okay, so hopefully those of you who are reading this like the story (I'm not sure, because no one is reviewing!) So please let us know what you think, and REVIEW! :) Updates will come faster if you do… I promise!**

**Disclaimer: ****We do not own Labyrinth or any of the characters mentioned here (except for Iris and the gremlin).**

**This chapter was written by: **_**Gaara's Little Girl  
><strong>_

Chapter Two 

_The crystal ball glinted in the firelight, throwing sparkling lights around the room as it sat in the palm of a black-gloved hand. Inside the crystal, Sarah found the thick glass walls shrinking around her as she desperately tried to break free from the prison. She could see a pair of huge, blue eyes reflected all around her, and a man's laughter echoed in her ears._

_Without warning, the crystal shattered, and Sarah found herself falling. The world had gone black and brown, and Sarah could feel the wind whipping past her face. Was that Toby crying, hidden somewhere behind the black shadowy masses? Were those his frightened whimpering cries mixing in with the sycophantic laughter?_

_Sarah felt herself being forced down, as though she were being dragged through mud, and as she struggled, she could feel herself being wrapped up in something._

_Sheets. Thin, white sheets tangled around her legs and arms as someone pressed her against the bed. She could feel tears rolling down her cheeks, though to whom they belonged she could not tell. It was pitch black, and she could see nothing but the sheets and then the darkness of the ceiling above, but she knew. She knew it was the man who had kidnapped her who was holding her down against the bed. He was the one whose body was forced up against hers, begging for entry. His lips pressed hard against her own. He was kissing her. So hard Sarah thought she might break from the pressure. So hard she couldn't remember her name, her location, anything. There was nothing but the kiss. His tongue forcing entry between her lips. His hips pressed up against hers-_

Sarah woke with a start, drenched with sweat and her heart pounding in her chest. She glanced around and was surprised to find herself in a small stone room. It was dark, but as far as she could tell the only furniture in the room was the small bed she lay in. Her clothes were draped gently over the foot of the bed, and Sarah looked down to see that she had been dressed in a thin white nightgown.

'_Where am I? This isn't my room,'_ she thought vaguely, sitting up. Memories of a man in black and a swirling red vortex flickered on the surface of her mind, and Sarah felt a sinking feeling in her stomach. She stared out the window and saw a series of large stone walls disappearing into the distance. The view was almost exactly like the cover of a book she owned at home, and the words suddenly sprang from her tongue.

"The kingdom beyond the goblin city," she murmured, staring out at the labyrinth. "The Goblin King's castle… No… This can't be happening! This place isn't real!"

But real or not, it was sitting there, all of it, right in front of her. But she had to be sure. She had to touch it; if she couldn't, then maybe she could tell herself she had just slipped into some sort of strange dream. Sarah peered into the shadows and onto the bed beside her, but she was alone. An aching relief washed through her, but the feeling left her as soon as she thought of the man in black. Sudden panic gripped her. What if he was here, watching her? She had to leave… to find Toby and go home. Sarah stood and glanced around the room one last time, before dressing, slipping on her shoes and leaving as quietly as possible.

The castle was dark and silent. Sarah swallowed hard, forcing herself not to glance into the shadowy corners. She turned at random intervals, taking the stairs when she wanted to, running her fingers along the solid wooden doors that lined the corridors.

'_This place is huge! How am I ever going to get out of here?'_ she thought, biting her lip.

The soft sound of voices caught her attention as she ascended yet another set of stairs, and when she reached the landing, she caught sight of a door that was slightly ajar. Light poured forth from underneath the crack, and hesitantly Sarah tiptoed over and chanced a look inside.

It was a large room, with thick stone walls and a high ceiling. There was only one window, a huge Victorian style arch with deep blue and violet panes that cast a swirling design against the white rug on the floor. It was framed by two silk curtains which blew gently in the breeze that slipped through a crack in the sill.

A soft cry of pain made Sarah turn her attention to the medium-sized bed with its pristine white sheets and pillows. She caught sight of two figures. One was short, with thick crusted skin and small blue eyes. He was a dwarf, with hands and nose that were both much too massive for him to handle. He was holding a small rag and a needle with thread, and seemed to be doing his best to heal the second figure, though he kept sticking the needle in wrong places, fumbling with it and then dropping it upon the floor. He was apologizing profusely to the second figure, who was laying in bed, his expression tight as though he was struggling not to howl out in pain. As Sarah caught sight of the second figure, she felt the color drain from her face, and her stomach dropped like led. It was the man who had brought her here. Another memory from her fantasy book flashed through Sarah's mind, and she gasped. Sarah was staring at Jareth, the Goblin King.

"Ah! Damnit Hoggle, if you stick me with that infernal needle again, I swear I'll… I'll-"

"I'm sorry Your Majesty! I'm doing the best I can!" the dwarf cried, ducking Jareth's gloved fist. Jareth hissed in pain, glaring down at the healer from his position, propped up against the pillows.

"The best you can? You lying little puss bag! If you were doing your best, I wouldn't be covered with more cuts than I started out with!" he growled, laying back against the pillows as Hoggle approached him with the needle again.

"Well, my hands aren't exactly made for this sort of work," the dwarf mumbled. Jareth glared at him.

"What was that?"

"Er, nothing… nothing…"

"I thought not,"

Jareth sighed and closed his eyes, wincing as he laid his head back against the headboard. Sarah let out a soft sigh of relief. Obviously he had not heard her.

"Quite the contrary Sarah. You know, your breathing is extraordinarily loud," Jareth murmured, his eyes still closed. Sarah's cheeks flushed a deep red, but she remained rooted to the spot. Jareth opened his eyes and stared straight at her.

"Well, come on. I don't bite… often," he said, a small smirk gracing his lips. Hesitantly, Sarah entered the room but she continued to keep her distance from the goblin king, who was still eyeing her. Without warning, Jareth yelped, and shot up in bed. He glared at Hoggle, who was standing by his side, attempting to sew up a large gash in the king's side.

"Oh give me that," Jareth said irritably, "I'll do it myself!"

He snatched the needle from the dwarf's hand and began sewing up the cut, wincing and gritting his teeth. Sarah stared blankly at the cut. It was long and jagged, stretching from just underneath his ribs on the right-hand side of his body, across his abdomen and down to his left hip. It was bleeding badly, and the pale green coloration around the wound made the whole thing look deeply infected.

"D-did I really do that?" Sarah whispered.

"Yes, as a matter of fact, you did," Jareth said, nonchalantly. "There, I think we're done here." He discarded the needle and lay back down, smirking.

"You could learn a thing or two from me Hoggle," he said, laughing. The laughter was punctuated by a soft hissing sound, and the three of them looked down in time to see the stitches dissolving as the wound re-opened itself. Blood bubbled to the surface, popping and hissing before turning black and congealing on Jareth's stomach, forming a thick dark sludge.

For a long time, there was silence. Hoggle hesitantly picked up the discarded needle, and starting towards Jareth again. The king glared at the unwitting dwarf.

"And what, pray tell, do you think you're doing?"

"I was just going to stitch you up again-"

"Don't bother. It won't stay. Just get me bandages. Lots of them. At least we can try to stop the bleeding," Jareth said coolly. He glanced at Sarah, his icy blue eyes fixing her light brown ones with a curious stare.

"Well, well," he said softly, his eyes never once leaving hers, "Sarah, what have you done?"

**Author's Note: ****Don't forget to R&R, please! Tell us what you think!**


	3. Chapter 3

**Author's Note: **** So, this is the first chapter written by my friend! YAY! Our writing styles are very different, (naturally, because we're two different people!) but hopefully the chapters I write and the ones she writes flow together well. Let us know what you think! The more you review, the faster we update! :)**

**Disclaimer: ****Still don't own Labyrinth or any of the characters (except Iris and the gremlin… You guys are probably sick of hearing us say that last part though, so just keep in mind that Iris and gremlin are ORIGINAL CHARACTERS! Please don't steal them without crediting us, we love our "brain babies").**

**This chapter was written by: ****Epicfailingagain (She finally got a fanfiction account! YAY!)**

Chapter Three 

Sarah turned and ran back to her room. Did she really inflict that awful wound in Jareth's stomach? Her, who'd never hit anything bigger than Toby? Alright, she'd never hit Toby, but that didn't mean she didn't consider it every once in a while. She leaned against the wall of her room and tried to keep her dinner down. She fell backwards. What? She had accidentally opened a secret passageway. Toby. Where was he? Jareth clearly didn't have him and he's only a year old. Sarah traveled down the tunnel , doubling over to fit. Forgetting about Jareth and his bleeding wound, Sarah followed the passage.

It was so low, with so many twists and turns that Sarah wondered who could possibly use it unless…no. Goblins didn't exist…did they?

Sarah pushed open a trap door above her and crawled as quietly as she could out of the exit, disguised as a manhole. She crept silently though the city towards the gates. Once at the gates, she slipped through them and silently entered the labyrinth.

It was huge. Just remember what side the castle's on and walk in the opposite direction, Sarah thought. "Toby!" she called, running with pitch-black stone walls on either side of her, with the occasional tree branch cutting her face, arms and legs. Finally, after what felt like hours of mindless searching in the dark, Sarah curled up at the base of an old gnarled tree with huge roots and fell asleep on the cold labyrinth floor.

Sarah woke up with the sun having clearly just risen and an aching neck and back.

"Aw come on, Sarah," an annoyed voice said behind here. "I give you a comfortable bed, food and a roof over your head and you thank me by running a way and sleeping on the stone ground of the labyrinth. Trust you to find the most uncomfortable spot possible." Sarah rolled over to find Jareth looking down at her through amused but annoyed eyes.

"Where's Toby?" Sarah asked.

"I don't know."

"Why not?"

"There are five million two hundred and sixteen thousand eight hundred and ninety two worlds between yours and mine. How am I supposed to know which one he's in? You're the one who was supposed to be babysitting him.

Sarah gave Jareth a murderous look. Jareth sighed. "Follow me." He turned a corner and disappeared. Sarah followed him…back into her room.

"Well hello again, Sarah," Jareth said, from his propped up position on the bed.

"How-" Sarah looked behind her at the solid stone wall. She felt it, just to make sure it was really there.

"I'm the Goblin King."

"Well yes, I know that," Sarah snapped.

"Do you need any more of an explanation?" He suddenly faded away, laughing.

"Guess not," she muttered and laid down on her bed. It was rather comfortable after sleeping on the labyrinth floor. Toby was here. Jareth wouldn't be keeping her out of the labyrinth if he wasn't.

Sarah got up and looked out the dirty glass window. The goblin city was coming to life. Goblins of all shapes and sizes were going about their daily business. Goblins. So it was real. Everything in her fairytale book was real. She cracked the window and listened to the goblins chatter about everything from how mad Jareth looked yesterday to the price of eggs being raised from one to two coins.

Sarah realized she wasn't too far off the ground. If she could just get her legs out the window she could slowly lower herself down to the ground and get out of the castle. Shutting her eyes, Sarah began to allow herself to fall in slow motion feet first onto the dirt ground below. She hung for a few seconds by her hands before allowing herself to drop. She landed squatting when she heard movement behind her. She stood up, expecting a very confused goblin staring at her. She wasn't expecting what she saw.

Jareth was staring at her. "Well hello again, Sarah. I do believe that's twice in one day."

"Hello," Sarah said cautiously. He didn't look to happy with her.

"Come on, you can't really be thinking of leaving so soon?" he asked easily.

"N-no of c-course not," Sarah said cautiously.

"Good. Then how about some breakfast. You must be hungry. We should also get you some clothes."

Sarah smiled faintly and Jareth lit up a little. "Alright."

"Hoggle, get Sarah something to eat other than some bread," Jareth called down when they reentered the castle.

"Yes, Your Majesty," Hoggle said, running off. What about Toby? Sarah wondered. Where was he? Was he alright? Why was Jareth so determined to keep her here?

"You!" Jareth said to a random goblin. "Take Sarah back to her room."

"I can get there myself, thanks," Sarah replied coolly.

"Are you sure? We wouldn't want you running away again, now would we?"

"I'll be alright, thank you for your concern," Sarah replied icily and marched down the hall to her room. Once there, she began to think. Where could Toby be?

Sarah, out of boredom, opened the closet. It was filled with gowns: medieval gowns. There was nothing even resembling pants or skirts. Just some beautiful gowns. Sarah selected a dark blue gown with gold trimming and changed out of the clothes she'd been wearing the last few days. She twirled around in it a few times before leaving her room again. Jareth never said she couldn't explore the castle.

Sarah walked out of her room and turned right. Pretty soon she had absolutely no idea where she was. She thought she heard voices and turning another corner, she peeked through a crack in the wall and saw Jareth's throne room. He was occupied at the moment with goblins surrounding him.

Sarah crept along saw the castle doors to her right. It was easy. Too easy. She walked out the front door. Suddenly, she was surrounded by goblins.

"Lady Iris! Good to see you again. It's been so long!"

"Lady Iris!"

"Lady Iris!"

"Wady Iwis, can I have your autogwaph?" a small goblin asked holding out an ink pen and paper.

"Who?" Sarah asked, extremely confused. "Who's Lady Iris?"

"Wow. How a few thousand years has changed you, my lady," a much older goblin said, looking at Sarah.

"Well she's been giving Jareth heirs and living as a queen." All the goblins burst out laughing.

"Hey!" Sarah cried. She began to run away towards the gates. She looked around for any help. Jareth was standing at the door to his castle with a small smile on his face. Was this his idea of a joke?

All the goblins followed her, calling "Wait, my lady," and "stop!"

"Leave me alone!" Sarah cried. She picked her skirts and sprinted towards the gates, almost reaching them when Jareth appeared in front of her.

"Lady Iris is here," a goblin cried out of breath as he ran into Jareth's throne room. The entire room went silent. "She's here! She's outside!" the goblin called. Every goblin in the castle dropped what

they were doing and ran outside.

Jareth stared at the goblin in shock. She'd left him twenty five hundred years ago because he made a stupid mistake. It was impossible that she was here now. Iris? IRIS? After all these years. She wouldn't-couldn't come back! Jareth bolted out of his throne and half-ran over to the door, not nowing what to expect. Nothing could have prepared him for what he saw. Sarah was standing there, surrounded by goblins.

Jareth almost started laughing with relief. Goblins were so stupid. She'd obviously tried to leave the castle, but was slowed down by all the goblins thinking she was Iris. Iris. A sad twinge of guilt hit him. He probably should go bring her back before the goblins themselves chased her into the labyrinth, which was probably where she wanted to go. Jareth materialized in front of her. She skidded to a stop, almost running into him. He held out his hands to catch her as she froze. Her eyes looked shocked as he stood there.

"You alright?" he asked.

"Yeah," Sarah replied looking down at herself. She actually looked rather good in the dress, Jareth thought. If only she would do something with her hair, she could actually look quite pretty.

"Let's get you back to the palace," Jareth said, looking at her. She needs a hug, Jareth decided. She just wouldn't respond very kindly if he gave her one. Oh what the hell. He gave her a hug. "You nitwits! This is not Iris!" Jareth shouted at the goblins. "This is Sarah, who got trapped here accidentally when she wished I would take her brother away." The goblins left to go about their daily business and Jareth brought Sarah back to the palace.

Sarah was shaking. She didn't know who Iris was and as far as Jareth was concerned she didn't need to know. "Toby's gone, Sarah." Jareth told her to try to calm her down. Who knew what she would find if she kept exploring the labyrinth solo. "He's not here. I don't have him. Believe me, if I could get him back I would."

Sarah looked at him with startled, sad but tearless eyes and walked back to her room to cry where no one could watch her. Jareth almost went after her, but a brief memory of what she thought him of stopped him. 

**Author's Note: **** What do you think? Review and let us know! :)**


	4. Chapter 4

**Author's Note: ****New chapter! Thanks for all the reviews we've gotten so far! But you know what would be awesome? MORE REVIEWS! :) Like I said before, the more reviews, the faster the updates! Love you all!**

**Disclaimer:**** We don't own Labyrinth or the characters, just the plot!**

**This chapter was written by: Epicfailingagain  
><strong>

Chapter Four 

"Jareth, where's Toby?" Sarah asked, trying to be civilized. They were in the throne room, Jareth lounging on the throne and Sarah standing in front of him. There were about fifty goblins sitting in nooks in the walls, or just standing around on the floor, talking loudly. Jareth clearly hated being there.

"Not here," Jareth replied, bored.

"Well, yes, I know that much. Where is he?"

"He's in another world."

"What does that mean?"

"Sarah, there are millions of worlds between yours and mine. Toby has fallen into one of them. Which one I couldn't tell you."

"Can we get him?" Sarah asked. "Surely there must be some way."

"I can't," Jareth replied. "I've been severely weakened."

"Can't you just magic yourself back together?" Sarah asked. Wasn't there an unlimited amount of things he could magically do?

"I would be able to if this was a normal cut," Jareth replied. "However, this one's magic so I can't."

"Magic? What do you mean?"

"The knife you stabbed me with was poisoned with a poison so old no one remembers the cure anymore."

Sarah gasped. "Oh, I'm sorry, I didn't know."

"I know, but normal people don't carry around stone knives just for the looks, Sarah. They're usually quite dangerous."

"I didn't know," Sarah replied, quietly.

"It's quite alright," Jareth replied, smiling at her. "I'm immortal, so no matter what happens to me, it doesn't kill me." Sarah just stared at him. "I'll be fine," he said, cheerfully.

"Are you sure?"

"Of course," Jareth replied, shrugging. "I'll get over this in a few days and it will be like none of this ever happened."

Sarah nodded, smiling. A few days. A few days and she would be able to leave with Toby in her arms. But how was she supposed to occupy herself until then?

"Hoggle!" Jareth called.

"Yes, your majesty?" Hoggle asked, coming inside.

"Take Sarah into the labyrinth and make sure she doesn't get into trouble," Jareth said. "Don't let her out of your sight.

"Yes, your majesty," Hoggle said. "What did you say to him?" he asked Sarah, once they were out of the castle.

"I just asked him where my brother was," Sarah replied. "Jareth said he would be able to get him in a few days after he got over his illness a little."

"A little? The illness is just going to get worse with time. Poisons don't just stop poisoning people, Sarah."

"So how long will it take before I see Toby again?"

"Who knows? But while you're here, you might as well enjoy it." The doors out of the castle opened as they approached and Hoggle and Sarah walked through. Outside, goblins were going about their business and no one was paying any attention to them. There were a few goblin children playing jump rope.

"Yellow, red, white and pink

A poison, we were taught to think,

But mix it with a deadly blade,

And how many people has it saved?

1, 2, 3, 4, 5…"

The children only got to ten before having to start again, laughing as they played. "Miss Sarah," one of them called over.

"Oh what do they want?" Hoggle asked.

"Yes?" Sarah called back.

"Do you wanna play?"

"I can try," Sarah replied. She took the jump rope as the children chanted the rhyme. Sarah made it to 50 before catching a glimpse of Hoggle watching her out of the corner of her eye laughing at her and consequently she tripped over the jump rope and fell over.

"How do you do that?" one of the children asked.

"Practice," Sarah replied. "It's all in the concentration."

"Come on, Sarah," Hoggle said impatiently on the fountain's edge where he'd been watching her.

"I'll see you later," Sarah called to them.

"Well you seemed to be a very friendly with the goblins."

"No one said I couldn't get along with them," Sarah replied defensively.

"Yes, but it doesn't go well with the whole wanting to leave if you're making friends with the goblin children."

"Oh I'm sorry, Sarah replied indignantly as they left the city and walked into the labyrinth. "Which way, Hoggle?"

"Whichever way you want to go. I'm just here so you can get back to castle within the month."

"Oh thanks," Sarah snapped sarcastically and turned left walking with a purpose down the road.

"Hey! Wait up!" Hoggle called running after her.

"I'm right here, calm down," Sarah said from around another corner.

"How did you get over there?" Hoggle asked, "There's nothing but a wall."

"There wasn't a minute ago," Sarah called over the stone wall.

"Oh darn," Hoggle said. "Hold on, Sarah I'm coming over. Wait for me." But of course, by the time Hoggle had arrived at where Sarah was, she'd already disappeared.

Sarah wandered aimlessly through the Labyrinth and within minutes was hopelessly lost. "Hoggle!" she called, turning around back the way she came and walking slowly backwards. She bumped into a creature while doing this and almost fell over. 

**Author's Note:**** Almost cliff hanger! Fun! I've decided something, if we get the story to have 15 reviews today, then I'll post the next chapter! Please R&R! Let us know what you think! :)**


	5. Chapter 5

**Author's Note: ****Hi everyone! Okay, so we were supposed to update this yesterday (We update every Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday) but couldn't, because of the whole "hurricane which actually turned into a tropical storm" preparations. SO as our way of apologizing, today, you get chapter five… AND CHAPTER SIX! So please review, it would really mean a lot. Otherwise, how do we know you're out there and that you like the story? Let us know by sending reviews!**

**Disclaimer:**** We don't own Labyrinth or any of the characters. HOWEVER we do own Gremlin.**

**This chapter was written by: Epicfailingagain  
><strong>

Chapter Five 

"Hey! Watch where you're going!" a creature cried dropping the box he was holding.

"Oh, hello," Sarah said to the startled creature. "I'm sorry I scared you."

"Humph," the creature replied, picking up the box. "Who are you?"

"I'm Sarah, who are you?"

"I'm a gremlin," the creature snapped.

"I can see that," Sarah said. "Don't you have a name?"

"No."

"Surely your parents-"

"Don't have parents, don't want parents," the gremlin snapped back. Suddenly, his mood changed to slight alarm. "You, on the other hand, are searching for someone you love here, aren't you?"

"Yes, my brother. How did you know?"

"Lucky guess. Where is he?"

"I don't know. One minute the Goblin king is trying to take him from me, next minute Toby's gone, I'm never going to see him again and I'm stuck here!" Sarah cried in frustration.

"I'm sorry. I wish I could help you but Jareth wouldn't be too happy about that," the gremlin replied sympathetically.

"You know Jareth?"

"In a manner of speaking."

"What do you mean?"

"He and I don't exactly get along. Hence why I live in the middle of this forest instead of enjoying life at the palace," he said bitterly.

"I'm sorry," Sarah said, pitying the creature who looked sad. She went to give it a hug.

"Hey, hey, hey, keep your filthy human hands off my box!"

"Oh, ok. What do you keep in that box?" Sarah asked curiously.

"This is my little music box. It always keeps a steady beat."

"May I listen?"

"Sure." Sarah leaned down and put her ear to the key hole. A soft rhythmic beat, almost like a heart could be heard from the box.

"That's really soothing," Sarah said. "I can understand why you would want to protect it."

"I know. That's why your filthy little human hands will never touch this box," he replied.

Sarah frowned, "Alright then," and then turned to leave.

"Wait." She turned back. "Listen, I know firsthand what Jareth can be and I have a feeling you haven't been here long enough to understand the inner workings of the castle and labyrinth. If you ever need help, or a friend, call me when you're alone and I'll answer. It's better that Jareth not know."

Hoggle was running through the labyrinth. "Sarah!" He called. Up ahead he saw a fortune teller sitting there staring at him.

"What have we here?" the fortune teller asked.

"N-nothing."

"Nothing? Nothing? Nothing? Tra la la?" the fortune teller asked, standing off and pulling off his hood. It was Jareth and he was angry. "Where's Sarah?"

"I don't know. The little lady gave me the slip, but I hear her calling me now, so I'll be going…" his voice trailed away as he tried to sneak off.

"No you won't Headwart-"

"Hoggle"

"Whatever." Jareth glared at him, and then disappeared down the path.

"Hoggle?" Sarah called, uneasily. "Hoggle?" A red head rolled by, laughing. She swallowed hard. "Hoggle?" she asked again.

Suddenly, she was surrounded by several red furry creatures. "Hey guys, let's have a good time tonight."

"Yeah!" suddenly, the creatures started coming from all around. They climbed out from inside trees, they pulled themselves out of holes n the ground all cheering and laughing. One of them used his finger like a match on the ground and lit a fire.

"Yahoo!" Sarah watched in horror, as every single one pulled off their hands, feet and even heads to contribute to the blaze, only to grow back. Pretty soon, a huge bonfire had started.

Sarah attempted to sneak out, but being the tallest one there, it was extremely difficult. She was almost to the edge of the mob, when one of the creatures called after her, "hey lady, where are you going?"

Crap, Sarah thought. They saw me.

Several leapt on her, grabbing at her head and hands. "Hey!" one cried "Her head don't come off!"

"Of course it doesn't!" She cried, trying to pry them off. Finally she managed to shake two loose, and with two still trying to take her head off, she ran.

**Author's Note: ****Again, SO SORRY about not being able to update yesterday! Still, as promised, I'm uploading two chapters today, and look out for the next update on Tuesday! :) Thanks so much for your patience! Don't forget to review!**


	6. Chapter 6

**Author's Note: ****Here's chapter six, as promised! Please review! Pretty please?**

**Disclaimer:**** We don't own Labyrinth. HOWEVER we do own Iris.**

**This chapter was written by: Gaara's Little Girl  
><strong>

Chapter Six

Sarah could feel the two red creatures weighing her down as she struggled to run. They pulled at her hair and scratched her face, their high pitched laughter ringing in her ears. From between the trees, she could see the heads and hands of the things bouncing along after her as their bodies scrambled like dogs to catch up.

Her breath escaped in short, choking sobs. Her foot caught on a root, and Sarah suddenly found herself tumbling head over heels. She was brought to an abrupt stop and she felt a sharp pain in the back of her head. Dazed, Sarah looked up and saw one of the labyrinth's stone walls looming above her.

Swaying slightly, she forced herself into a standing position and dug her fingers into the cracks in the wall, hoisting herself up. She felt a pair of hands on her leg, then another and another. She was already falling when she had the horrible realization that the things were pulling her down. Sarah hit the ground hard and screamed, throwing her hands over her face as the creatures, still laughing, began tugging at her hair and body.

Without warning there was a loud bang and a blinding flash of light. The tugging immediately stopped, and Sarah raised her head weakly to see that all the creatures had fallen to the ground, unconscious. Bewildered, she looked around for the cause.

Jareth was sitting on the wall top, smirking down at her as he swung his legs back and forth.

"Hallo Sarah,"

"You!" Sarah gasped, scrambling to her feet, a steady blush rising in her cheeks.

"How… How did you-"

"Need some help?" Jareth laughed. A crystal ball appeared in his hand, but a second later it had turned into a rope. Jareth tossed her one end, smiling.

"Well, come on then,"

Sarah stared at the rope for a minute, as though she expected it to come to life and strangle her. She shook her head and turned away.

"I don't need help from someone like _you_," she said stubbornly, crossing her arms. Jareth frowned.

"Suit yourself… Still, that spell can't hold the Fire Gang back for long. Ah well,"

He walked away, disappearing from sight just as quickly as he had come. Sarah glanced around and noticed that a few of the red creatures were beginning to stir. She swallowed hard.

"Jareth, wait!"

The rope came swinging back into view, and Sarah could hear the goblin king laughing as he hauled her to safety. Her cheeks flushed with rage and, desperate for even a tiny revenge, Sarah grabbed onto a tree branch, growing near the labyrinth wall. She clung to it, holding herself in place so that Jareth couldn't pull her up any further. She was going to make it as difficult for him as possible. After all, Jareth deserved it after everything he'd done to her.

Sarah smiled as she was the rope jerking around uselessly. Meanwhile, on the other side of the wall, Jareth was tugging on the rope with growing irritation. He wondered what in the world could be taking so long. However one quick glance over the wall top revealed the source of the problem. He smirked. Two could play at that game. He gave his wrist a sharp flick, allowing the magic to take its effect.

The rope suddenly gave an almighty lurch, and Sarah lost her grip on the tree branch and found herself sailing high over the labyrinth wall. She smashed into Jareth, and the two of them fell into a tangled heap.

Sarah opened her eyes, shaking violently, and was surprised to find herself laying on top of Jareth. He had wrapped his arms around her protectively when they fell, and now there were so close that if Sarah relaxed even the tiniest bit- She imagined her lips brushing against his and her cheeks immediately turned a deep red.

It was only then that she realized Jareth was laughing at her. His entire body shook as the laughter rolled through him, and his face was split into one of the few genuine smiles Sarah had seen him give. She pulled away, embarrassed, but Jareth continued smiling at her.

"Well, well Sarah," he teased, "Feeling a bit wild today, are we?"

"Oh, sh-shut up!" Sarah spat back, embarrassment still coloring her cheeks. Jareth smirked at her, but said nothing as he stood. Out of the corner of her eye, Sarah thought she saw him wince, and when she turned to him, she saw him holding his stomach, a pained expression on his face.

"Are you alright?"

Jareth straightened up quickly pulling his cape tighter around him in an attempt to cover the crimson stain spreading across his shirt.

"I'm fine," he said quickly, turning away. "Come on, we should get you back to the castle,"

Sarah fell into step with him and gently reached out to touch his arm. Jareth looked down at her, surprised by the contact. Sarah gave him a weak smile.

"You know, you don't have to be strong all the time," she said softly. "I can see you're still hurting,"

Jareth's eyes narrowed and he pulled away.

"I have no idea what you're talking about," he snapped. "Now hurry up."

Sarah hesitantly followed the king as he swept up the path, watching the thick red drops of blood slide down his cape and splatter in the dust behind him.

By the time they had reached the castle, Jareth was pale and his hands were shaking badly. Wordlessly he swept into the throne room, and collapsed onto the throne, gritting his teeth to prevent himself from screaming. Several goblins started to approach him, but he waved them away irritably.

"Get away. Get away," he hissed between clenched teeth. "Someone get Hoggle, now! If he's not in here within the next five minutes, I promise you, heads will roll!"

There was a mass scramble to escape the throne room, and within seconds Jareth and Sarah were the only two in the room. Jareth sighed and closed his eyes. His head swam with the pain, and he could feel bile creeping up the back of his throat. He bit the inside of his cheek, willing himself not to be sick all over the throne room floor.

"Your Majesty?"

Jareth weakly opened one eye and saw the healer dwarf standing before him. Jareth let out a relieved sigh.

"What in the hell took you so long? It seems I've bled through my bandages,"

Hoggle looked alarmed.

"Again? But that's the fifth set-"

Hoggle trailed off as he saw the murderous glint in Jareth's eyes. Jareth nodded meaningfully at Sarah, who was still standing in the doorway, staring at them.

"Bandages," the king hissed through gritted teeth, "Now."

Hoggle nearly tripped as he scrambled to leave the room.

"Wait!"

Hoggle skidded to a stop beside Sarah, glancing back at the king. Jareth was staring at Sarah, his eyes glazed slightly and distant.

"Take Sarah to her room. A new one, I don't want her wandering around unprotected anymore… The one beside the library. You know the one,"

Hoggle looked surprised.

"Sir…"

"Damnit Hoggle, I didn't bring you here so you could stand there like a useless stump! Now get out!" Jareth snapped.

Sarah and Hoggle suddenly felt as though a great wind was pushing them from the room. They tumbled to the ground and the doors to the throne room slammed shut tightly behind them. Hoggle stood up, glaring at Sarah.

"Room beside the library… huh… You certainly have his attention," he muttered darkly before walking down the corridor. He stopped and raised a thick eyebrow at Sarah, who was still laying on the stone floor, looking confused.

"Well, are you coming or what?"

Sarah scrambled to her feet, her cheeks tinged a light pink.

"Sorry,"

"Don't apologize, just keep up," the dwarf said, rolling his eyes. They started down the hallway again and after a few moments, Sarah caught the dwarf staring at her again. She crossed her arms, frowning.

"What?"

"Nothing," Hoggle said, turning away. Sarah glared.

"It's obviously not nothing if you're going to be staring at me like that!" she complained. "What is it?"

"I'm just wondering why Jareth would give a whiny little girl like you Iris's room," the dwarf said, smiling to himself. "You must have done a number on him. No one's been allowed in there for years,"

Sarah frowned, as the shadow of a memory crossed her mind.

"I've heard that name before...Who is she?"

"Iris," Hoggle said flatly. "Was his fiancée,"

Sarah stiffened.

"Jareth… h-has a fiancée?"

"Had."

"What?"

"She died," the dwarf said, a hint of sadness echoing in his eyes. "It happened years ago. Still… She was so young. Not much older than you, actually,"

Sarah felt a slight twist in her stomach. She wasn't sure how she felt about sleeping in a dead girl's room.

"What… Wh-what happened to her?"

"She was murdered," Hoggle said softly. "The night of the wedding, she was murdered."

Sarah felt the bottom drop out of her stomach.

"That's awful!"

"You're telling me," Hoggle said, "Jareth was devastated. He blamed himself you know. Still does. She left the room for a minute… And then… then…" Hoggle trailed off. Sarah followed his gaze and saw that they were standing in front of a large mahogany door. She swallowed hard as Hoggle pushed open the door.

'_It's… not that bad,'_ she thought, glancing around. _'Actually, this is really nice!'_

It was a lot like Jareth's room, but the walls were free of vines, and painted a dark blue. The curtains and sheets were still pure white, but unlike Jareth's room, the walls were not bare. A huge painting hung over the canopy bed, depicting a young woman with long curly blonde hair and dark green eyes. She was thin, pale and full figured, and there was something mischievous in her smile. Sarah forced herself to look away, and caught Hoggle staring at her.

"That's her… Iris… Pretty ain't she?" he said, knowingly. Sarah nodded weakly.

"What… What happened? I mean… h-how did she…"

"Die? No one, 'cept Jareth knows for sure. One minute she's in her room, the next Jareth comes stumbling out of there covered in blood and screaming bloody murder."

There was a long silence as Sarah stared at Iris's portrait.

"Did… did Jareth…" She couldn't bring herself to finish.

"What, murder her? That's the question now, ain't it? It's not like he's not capable, and since had just married into the family, he was technically next in line for the throne. So he had a motive, but the thing is he was standing in front of the whole kingdom making a speech. Everyone saw him there. Then the next thing you know, Iris is dead, and there's no logical way that Jareth could have done it. Even he can't be in two places at once. Still, it all seems pretty suspicious to me,"

"Yes I suppose it would. Weak, innocent princess, power-hungry husband leaving her room drenched in her blood… Very suspicious indeed," a cold voice said from behind them. Hoggle and Sarah froze and turned slowly to see Jareth illuminated in the doorway. Sarah felt the hairs rise on the back of her neck and the color drained from her face. She glanced over at Hoggle, who was shaking badly, his face white as milk.

"Y-your Majesty!"

Jareth gave the dwarf a venomous glare, silencing him immediately.

"You are dismissed," he growled, "I ordered you to show her to her room, not give her my life story!"

Hoggle sprinted from the room, leaving Sarah alone with the seething king. He turned to her, his expression dark. Sarah swallowed hard, avoiding his gaze.

"Not a very nice story, is it?" he said bitterly. His eyes were distant and clouded.

"It happened right here, in this very room. She died, right there, by the window. There's still a stain… Some things never fade…"

He turned away then, his expression unreadable.

"Well… I suppose that's that. I'll say goodnight,"

And with that he was gone, leaving Sarah alone in a dark room with a dead girl's portrait and a blood stained floor.

**Author's Note: ****So? What did you think? Review and let us know!**


	7. Chapter 7

**Author's Note:**** Hey everyone! Hopefully, you'll all enjoy reading this new chapter as much as I did writing it! Heads up, there's a weird (-x-x-x-) symbol which is representing a timeskip, because my original symbol refuses to show up... This chapter is actually a little fun, because-… Well, actually, I can't tell you, because that would ruin the surprise! But please review! It's really important to us that you do… Please?**

**Disclaimer:**** Don't own Labyrinth or the characters… But oh how we wish we did…**

**This chapter was written by: Gaara's Little Girl  
><strong>

Chapter Seven

Early afternoon found Sarah sitting in the massive library, tucked into one of the comfortable armchairs as she read. Sunlight played across the pages of the yellowing book she was reading, dancing across the printed words and spreading across the room.

She flipped another page in the history book she was reading, her eyes scanning the page as she drank in the information. It was fascinating; the world that had once existed only in her imagination and story books, was coming to life all around her. It was moving, breathing, shifting and changing with every passing second. All of it was right before her, growing before her eyes.

As she turned the page, Sarah felt a slight jolt in her stomach. Her eyes widened as she caught sight of the title of the next chapter. _Goblin King Jareth Quinn, 600 b.c.—Present Day._ The chapter itself was less than a page long, but it was the date at the top of the page that caught her eye.

600 b.c.

Sarah tried to do the calculations in her head. That meant that when Jareth was born, Rome hadn't even been built yet! She shuddered. Jareth was over two thousand years old. It couldn't be possible, there must have been a misprint, and yet there it was in black and white.

_King Jareth was born in a small village just outside of where the border to the Labyrinth now stands. After his parents death, shortly before his thirtieth birthday, it is said that he left home to seek his fortune. Little is known of what occurred during this time._

_He was brought to the castle in 566 b.c., where he was nursed back to health by the royal family after having sustaining injuries during his travels throughout the land. The king and his daughter welcomed him into the family, and before long, Jareth had been accepted into the royal court. He was celebrated across the land for his wit, intelligence, and for being the most powerful and talented sorcerer in the world. He quickly rose in military ranks, and was also appointed as the King's personal advisor and guard._

566, that meant he had to be about thirty-four at the time… but what had happened between then and when he left home?

_Later that same year, Jareth was wed to the Goblin Princess Iris (pg 7892), but tragedy struck that evening, when the Princess-_

Sarah sighed and started to close the book. She already knew that part of the story. Jareth murdered his young bride and took over the kingdom, everyone cries, the end. Still, she felt something nagging at the back of her mind. The goblins had called her Iris when they had first seen her, but having looked at the painting that hung over the bed, she knew that they looked nothing alike. What could it mean? Was it just another of Jareth's sick jokes? But no, he couldn't possibly be that heartless.

Something near the bottom of the page caught her attention, and she re-opened the book and continued to read.

_After learning of his daughter's death, King Vladimir (pg 4629), died of a heart attack in the throne room. As legend has it, Jareth was so devastated by the loss of his wife and father-in law, that he subconsciously forced the very stones to rise from the ground, creating a series of walls to surround and protect the castle. The Labyrinth, as it is now known, still stands today. Only two people are known to have traveled through it in its entirety; Jareth and his personal attendant Hoggle (pg. 6825)._

_Jareth was crowned king on October 17, 566 b.c., shortly after the death of King Vladimir and the funeral of Princess Iris. Jareth-_

Sarah closed the book, thinking. That information certainly was new, and only helped to affirm her suspicions about Jareth's hand in Iris's death. After all, kings and their daughters don't just die after a quick visit from the world's most powerful sorcerer.

She closed her eyes, thinking. If Jareth really was a murderer (and she was almost positive that he was) then it wouldn't be safe for her to stay in the castle any longer. She had to find Toby, wherever Jareth may be hiding him, and escape as fast as she could. But how could she, when he seemed to be three steps ahead of her, and around every corner? It was eerie the way he watched her… the way a spider watches a fly… just waiting for her to land in his net so he could tie her up, trapping her for good as he injected her with his poison, wrapping her up inside of him where she could never escape… He'd never let her go. He'd murder her, just like Iris…

"Sarah?"

She screamed and shot up out of her chair, her heart pounding. Hoggle stared at her, surprised.

"Oh… H-Hoggle… it's just you," Sarah said, struggling to make her breathing return to normal. Hoggle gave her a wry smile.

"I've got a message for you. Jareth wants you to have lunch with him. He'll meet you in the throne room in five minutes," he said. He started to walk away, when Sarah called out after him.

"Wait! I never said yes!"

"Whoever said he was asking?" Hoggle laughed, and disappeared from view. Sarah sighed.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

"Sarah,"

She said nothing, her eyes fixed straight ahead.

"Sarah please,"

Still nothing. Jareth sighed and sat down in the grass. He'd been trying for at least fifteen minutes to get the girl to talk to him, but to no avail. She seemed upset about something, and unwilling to even look at him. All in all, the nice afternoon picnic he had planned in an attempt to get to know her better, was not going well at all. He shifted uncomfortably and stared out across the water.

It was a nice place he'd picked, just outside the labyrinth walls. Secluded and quiet, by a lakeside, with plenty of trees hiding them from the view of any passersby. Oleander grew by the lakeside, and sunlight glinted on its surface, sending sparks of light flying around the clearing. Fairies flitted in and out of the bushes, but the pests kept to themselves, humming softly as they played with the flowers, and skipping out across the lake. Jareth smiled to himself, remembering the last time he had visited the lake. Twilight… she had always looked so beautiful in the light of the setting sun…

"Pretty, isn't it?" he said softly, glancing over at Sarah. She shrugged, still not looking at him.

"I always come here when I need to think," he said, staring across the water again. "It's peaceful. No one ever comes out here. It's completely deserted for miles and miles,"

Sarah shifted uncomfortably, forcing herself to stare at the mud gathering on her shoes. Jareth tried again.

"Are you hungry? You must be… I didn't see you at breakfast this morning"

Sarah remained silent. In truth, she had spent most of the morning trying to sleep, after having spent a long sleepless night staring out of Iris's bedroom window, trying not to think of how Jareth had murdered the poor girl. Jareth sighed and reached into the small picnic basket he had brought. There wasn't much in there, fruit and a few sweet cakes, but it was enough to make a meal. He pulled out a biscuit covered in a thick sugar icing and offered it to Sarah.

"Want some?"

Sarah stared at the offered cake before looking up at Jareth, frowning.

"It's poisoned."

Jareth's laughter rang out across the lake, and a few of the fairies scattered, chattering as they disappeared into the trees. He smiled at her, bewildered.

"Poisoned? Why on earth would I do that?"

Sarah didn't answer, but Jareth could hear the accusation in her silence. His eyes narrowed.

"I didn't kill her Sarah,"

Sarah said nothing, and Jareth sighed. The silence between them was achingly long, when Sarah reached out and took the cake from Jareth's hand and took a large bite. He gave her a small smile.

They sat there for a while, eating silently and watching the sun cross the sky in the reflection of the lake. Several hours passed, but neither of them seemed to be aware of it as the silence between them grew more and more amiable. Soon enough, Sarah was unconsciously leaning against the goblin king, unaware that he had wrapped one arm around her waist as he stared at the forest on the other side of the lake.

The first few drops of rain caught them both by surprise, snapping them out of their reveries and back into reality. For a few seconds, Sarah could do nothing but stare open mouthed at the sky, surprised by the quick change in the weather. Jareth's laughter snapped her out of it, and she saw him standing before her, offering her his hand. She took it, allowing him to help her to her feet, but she let out a yelp as he pulled her close and began waltzing her around the lakeside.

"Jareth! What are you doing?" she cried, struggling to pull away, but the king was holding her much too close, and his footwork was too fast and complicated. He laughed.

"I'm not sure! Just… dance with me for a while!" He was beaming like a child, and Sarah couldn't help but smile. She allowed him to spin her around the lake, laughing as he picked her up and swung her around. Mud splattered their clothing, and a few times they slipped or stepped into the lake, but they did not care. Soaked with rain and laughing uncontrollably, they continued to dance as the sun slowly began to sink into the distance.

Sarah found herself leaning backwards as the dance finally came to an end. She was staring up into Jareth's cerulean blue eyes, his white blonde dripping with rain water. He was breathing hard, his warm breath rushing from between his lips in short bursts. Sarah unconsciously wrapped her arms around his neck, and he pulled her closer.

Their lips were barely a millimeter apart when Sarah sneezed. She pulled away, blushing fiercely as Jareth started to laugh. She turned away.

"St-stop it!" she said, her cheeks turning an even darker red. Jareth however, could not stop, and was soon doubled over as he struggled to control himself.

A sudden cry of pain made Sarah turn back to the goblin king, and she saw him on his knees, a pained expression on his face as he held his stomach. Blood squirted out from between his fingers as he coughed, and his entire body shook violently. Sarah ran back to him, alarmed.

"Jareth? Jareth, what-" she started, but he pushed her away, wincing.

"I'm fine! I-I'm fine," he murmured, clearing his throat and forcing himself to stand. "L-let's just get back to the castle, alright?"

Sarah nodded hesitantly and took his arm. Within seconds, Jareth had transported them back to the castle and disappeared from sight. It wasn't until later that anyone would notice the picnic basket's absence, but even then no one seemed to care. It was, after all, just a basket with an old cloth over it; a useless reminder of what had started out as a nice day.

**Author's Note:**** Hope you enjoyed this new chapter! Please review!**


	8. Chapter 8

**Author's note:**** Wow, I'm absolutely in shock. Last time we posted, almost THREE HUNDRED PEOPLE checked out the story! That's TEN TIMES the number of people who read it on the first day it was posted. Thank you all, so much! But please, don't forget to review! It's really important so we know how we're doing!**

**Disclaimer:**** We don't own Labyrinth or any of the characters! Sorry…**

**This chapter was written by: Epic Failing Again**

Chapter Eight

A few days later found Sarah in a crimson gown with thin edges and a gold belt around her waist with Jareth in the throne room. "Jareth,"

Sarah said, walking up to him.

"Yes?" he asked.

"What about Toby?"

"What _about_ Toby?

"I mean, you can't seriously expect me to just sit here and hope that Toby is alright."

"Sarah. You know I can't just materialize between worlds like I can materialize from here to over there. It takes more energy; energy I don't have because SOMEONE stabbed me with a poisoned knife!"

"Well I'm so sorry! If you hadn't tried to take him maybe neither of us would be in this situation!"

"You asked the child be taken Sarah, I took him," Jareth said logically. He was clearly trying to calm her down, but she was in no mood to be calm.

"That doesn't mean wrestle him out of my hands and then drop him somewhere between Earth and here!"

"If you hadn't fought so hard both of you would be home right now and I wouldn't be dying of blood loss."

"I'm sorry if I have the instinct to protect my brother from you!" Sarah yelled. Her anger was nearly reaching a boiling point.

"Oh, suddenly now you have a heart for your brother!" Jareth was angry. Sarah could read it on his face, but she didn't care.

"It's not my fault if you don't have a heart! You know what?" Sarah asked. She was far beyond a point of anyone being able to stop her and calm her down. "I know why Iris died. She died because you're so goddamn heartless!"

Everyone goblin and human froze. The tension in the air was almost tangible. Sarah could feel it creep up from the stones and wrapped around her legs, ankles, freezing her in place as Jareth stared at her with icy blue eyes and a deadly glance. If looks could kill, everyone within a five mile radius would have suddenly dropped dead. Without warning, Jareth grabbed Sarah by the collar and slammed her into the stone wall, smacking her head so hard she could feel the blood dripping down the back of her neck, staining her dress. Sarah gasped in pain and fear at Jareth's face, inches from her own.

Sarah was afraid he was going to snap her neck or tear off her head in anger. He was breathing hard and fast. Painfully slowly, Sarah watched his eyes regain a fraction of the dark blue they usually were. After several more tense seconds, Jareth released and stalked away, all the goblins making a path for him as he disappeared from view. Once he was out of the room, Sarah turned and ran back to her room not caring who saw her and doubting that anyone would see the blood dripping down her neck and back with the color of the dress.

She ran in her room and slammed the door, staring at the painting of Iris on the wall. Sometimes I envy you," she said to the blonde girl. "But I've got to save my brother first." She turned back around.

"Gremlin?" she called softly. She couldn't hold it in any longer. She burst into tears.

"Right here," the gremlin said calmly, standing next to the bed. His expression changed from cheerful to shock when he saw her sitting there, sobbing. One hand over her eyes and one holding the back of her head. "What happened?"

"J-J-Jareth," Sarah replied.

"What did he do?"

"M-m-my h-head," she whispered, pulling her blood-soaked hand away from the wound.

"Let me see," he said. The gremlin walked over to a chest of drawers and pulled out a white towel from inside. "Here, hold this to the wound. It should stop bleeding pretty soon. It doesn't look too deep. "What happened?" He asked again. He sounded genuinely concerned.

"Jareth and I got into a fight about my little brother. Jareth slammed me into a wall out of anger."

"I told you before, Jareth's a heartless bastard. How you got to be affiliated with him I'll never know."

"I wished my brother would be taken away by the goblin king. I didn't really think he existed, but the next thing you know, I'm here and Toby's gone forever. I mean, when you read a fairytale book, you don't seriously expect it to come true."

"Completely understandable," the gremlin replied patting her on the back. "By the way your dress is soaked, and you're slowly soaking the bed sheet too."

"Guess this room has two women's blood in it now," Sarah said weakly. The gremlin gave a half-hearted laugh.

"There you go, Sarah, back to your old self. You'll be alright. Just don't let Jareth or any of his little 'assistants' bring you down."

"Thanks. You're a good friend." She gave the gremlin a hug.

"I'm always here for you. Just call," the gremlin replied and disappeared again.

**Author's Note:**** Sooooooo? What do you think? Please review! Pretty please? Who knows… seven more reviews today, and we just might put up the next chapter! Come on, just seven! That's not a lot at all! The faster they come, the faster we post!**


	9. Chapter 9

**Author's Note:**** Hey everyone! So, we only actually got five reviews yesterday (but if you add the two PM's then technically we got seven!). SO we're updating again! Thanks so so so much for reading! This chapter is dedicated to RaeJones386, GuardianAngelscry, Princess of the Fae, and HaylisNocturne! Thank you guys for the reviews! This post is for you!**

**Disclaimer:**** Don't own Labyrinth or any of the characters… But one day… one day…**

**This chapter was written by: Gaara's Little Girl**

Chapter Nine

Hours later, Sarah sat in the library, curled up in one of the armchairs, staring blankly at one of the many books, unable to actually read what was written what was on the page. She was still in shock. She couldn't believe that Jareth had actually thrown her into the wall like that. True, she had been a bit harsh with her comment about Iris, in fact the guilt was still gnawing away at her, but still he didn't have to go and act like such a monster about it. Then again, his moods were as unpredictable as the weather; one minute he was laughing and joking around, and the next he was darker than a storm cloud, throwing tantrums and destroying anything or anyone that was foolish enough to get in his way.

"Sarah?"

She forced herself to ignore him, and pressed the thin towel against the back of her head harder, wincing slightly. It wasn't a large cut, most likely it was just that some skin had been scraped off as she hit the wall, but it still hurt and was bleeding badly. Jareth stood awkwardly before her, shifting uncomfortably from one foot to the other.

"Sarah, please… I…" he sighed and looked away. She wasn't looking at him, always a bad sign.

"Sarah… I'm sorry. I didn't mean to-… I-I just…"

She glared at him before turning back to her book. He swallowed hard.

"I've… acted like a child," he said softly, "And when children fight with other children, it doesn't usually end well,"

"Excuse me?" Sarah said, her voice cold and low. "Other children? What's that supposed to mean?"

Jareth gave her a small smile.

"Oh come now Sarah, you don't actually believe that the way you've been behaving lately can be considered mature now, do you?" he laughed. He caught sight of the look on her face and the laughter was quickly replaced by a disbelieving frown.

"You can't be serious,"

"Why not?" she replied flippantly, " After all, you know that everything I've said to you is perfectly true,"

"Yes, and voiced with the intelligence and whining tone of a four year old!" Jareth spat back, his eyes narrowing. "How can you possibly be upset with me, when you're the one throwing tantrums all the time?"

"So slamming me into a wall isn't considered throwing a tantrum?"

"Don't start with me young lady-"

"No! Don't you start with me!" Sarah growled, "I don't care how much fucking pain you're in, that's not an excuse! You expect me to be some sweet, innocent little girl, who does everything you tell her to! Well I'm not! You can't just kidnap me and expect me to be some goody-two shoes school girl, and try to brainwash me into thinking you're my knight in shining armor! I don't know who the hell you think you are, but you can't treat me this way!"

"Bullshit!" Jareth shouted back, "You may not like it _princess, _but I can treat you any way I please! You're in my castle, _my_ world now Sarah, and nothing you do is going to change that! And as long as I'm king, you're going to have to do what I say, when I say, just like everyone else. Not having your brother around isn't an excuse. I'm sorry you miss him, but don't you _dare_ take it out on me! I wouldn't have dropped him if it wasn't for you, so don't think even for a second that you can blame this all on me!"

Tears began forming in the corners of Sarah's eyes, and she could feel the anger welling up within her chest.

"You call this an apology?" she laughed, tears streaming down her cheeks, "Hah! Some king you are, you can't even take responsibility for anything you do! You know what? I feel bad for Iris. She had to put up with a useless, heartless man like you! To think she wanted to spend her life with you... at least she got out of it while she still could!"

Jareth stiffened, his icy blue eyes flashing dangerously, but he seemed to be unable to speak. Sarah stood, squaring off to the older man and staring deeply into his eyes.

"Listen Jareth, and listen hard, because I don't want to waste my breath saying this again. No matter what you do, no matter how long you keep me here, no matter whether or not I see my brother or my home ever again, know this: I hate you. I will always hate you, and I will continue hating you with every fiber of my being for the rest of my life!" she hissed coldly. "You might have been able to crush Iris, but I promise, you won't do the same to me!"

There was a long silence as Jareth stared back at Sarah. He was fuming, choked into silence by his own rage. He glared at her long and hard for a moment, before sweeping out of the room and slamming the door behind him. Sarah let out a frustrated scream and picked up the book again, throwing it as hard as she could after him. It crashed into the door before landing with a thump on the floor. Wearily, she went and picked it up, glancing at the inside cover as she did so.

There, in neat script, a short message was printed.

_Dear Iris,_

_ My love for you runs deeper than any river, and will flow for all of time. I wish you every happiness on this, our wedding night, and I pray that for the rest of your life, I can make you as happy as you make me. You have stolen my heart. I love you._

_ Forever yours,_

_ Jareth_

**_-meanwhile-_**

Jareth stormed out of the library, his head swimming with rage. He could barely concentrate enough to transport himself into his personal bathroom and lock the door. Breathing hard, he was unaware that he had fallen to his knees, his shoulders shaking uncontrollably. He could feel the bile creeping up the back of his throat, and he closed his eyes.

Blood splattered across the room as he vomited. He fell to his hands and knees, choking as the mix of half-digested food and blood spewed from his mouth and onto his clothes and the stone floor. After several minutes he sat up, dizzy and unable to swallow because his mouth and throat were red, swollen and raw. He coughed and felt a small amount of blood slide out between his lips. Whimpering softly, he leaned against the wall, breathing hard. He closed his eyes.

It was getting worse. The cut refused to close, and he could feel the poison from the knife slowly circulating through his blood. Every day, the pain grew worse, as though someone had lit a fire in his belly, and was increasing the temperature more and more every day. Even his organs felt as though someone was slowly ripping them apart, and every day it seemed to take more and more to gather the will to even rise out of bed.

He opened his eyes and caught sight of himself in the mirror that was attached to the bathroom wall across from him. A pale, shivering, hollowed out shell of a man stared back at him, his eyes gaunt and clouded with fever, his clothes soaked with blood and vomit. It was a miserable sight; something unbecoming of a king… something unbecoming of the living in general, and it sickened him.

How long had it been this way? Surely the knife had only brought out what had been trapped inside of him for so long. The guilt from Iris, the resentment of being forced into running the kingdom, the strain of using magic every day… and Sarah. Every second of her hating him was taking its toll. He had tried, but it just wasn't enough. It would never be enough. He had failed her as he had failed Iris, and every member of the kingdom since his arrival…. His very birth.

As he stared at the failure blinking mournfully back at him in the mirror, Jareth could feel a swell of emotions rising in his chest.

It happened in a second. He had crossed the room and slammed both fists into the mirror, shattering it into a thousand glittering pieces. Blood dripped down his pale hands as he stood there, shaking, before he collapsed once again. A soft sob escaped his raw throat and tears began to fall thick and fast down his cheeks. His entire body shook with his cries and he slowly curled into a ball, cradling his pale, bleeding hands.

**Author's Note:**** Really hope you liked this chapter! Review and let us know, pretty please!**


	10. Chapter 10

**Author's Note:**** Hey everyone! Thanks so much for all the reviews! We really appreciate it! Keep on reviewing! Updates come faster when you do!**

**Disclaimer:**** Don't own Labyrinth or any of the characters… :'(**

**This chapter was written by: Epic Failing Again**

Chapter Ten

Sarah was walking through the castle in a light pink gown with white lace when she heard Jareth sounding angry in the throne room. "I want him found!" Jareth shouted at the goblins. "I want him found and I want him found within the month!"

Sarah peeked curiously into the throne room. The room was filled with armed goblins listening to Jareth as he ordered them around. He didn't look very happy. "He's got something precious of mine, and I want it back." Jareth said.

The goblins all looked at each other; frightened, confused curious. "Bring him to me alive. I want to be able to talk to him before I rip his head off, and any of yours if you don't bring him here within the month!"

Sarah went pale. What was so important Jareth enlisted all of his goblins to help him search for an unknown creature?

She instantly threw herself out of the way as all the goblins all ran out the doors into the labyrinth. She walked back toward her room, lest she meet Jareth and get thrown into another wall. The scab from the first time was still raw at this point and she still couldn't sleep on her back.

Making a mental note that she easily bruised and did not heal fast, Sarah walked back into the library and closed the door behind her. Then laid down on a large very soft couch, propped her legs up on the arm rest, and picked up a novel telling the story of two fairies; a story that reminded her of Shakespeare's _Romeo and Juliet._

"Sarah?" a voice called out. She knew the voice immediately, but she was usually the one to contact him.

"Gremlin? I'm alone," she said, discarding the book.

"I need a place to hide for a while," the gremlin said, materializing next to her.

"What happened?" Sarah asked.

"Some creatures in the labyrinth are absolutely convinced I'm holding jewels in my music box," the gremlin replied. "Nowhere in the labyrinth is safe right now."

"Well, if you need somewhere to hide, you can stay here, though how to keep you out of Jareth's sight is the only issue," Sarah replied.

"I know of somewhere," the gremlin replied, I'm just going to need help getting there."

"I can help. Jareth just went out a few minutes ago so it shouldn't be too hard to go undetected," Sarah said.

"Follow me," the gremlin said and the two of them left the library. The gremlin led Sarah to the throne room.

"Are you crazy?" Sarah asked.

"No, I'm not. Look at this," the gremlin pulled a faded tapestry aside, revealing a small wooden door, just barely big enough for Sarah to fit through.

They walked down the passageway and made a left. "Where are we?" Sarah asked.

"Tunnels that haven't been used since before Jareth's time. See, the goblins kept rebelling, so the kings built hidden tunnels within the castle to help them escape or for military purposes. Once the labyrinth was accidentally built any invading army got separated and hopelessly lost, so other kingdoms stopped attacking and the tunnels fell into disuse. Nowadays no one uses the tunnels for any reason at all and most people don't even remember a time before Jareth."

"Really?"

"Yes," the gremlin said. "This should do nicely, he said, stopping outside a large stone gargoyle.

"What are you talking about? Staying on the gargoyle?"

"No," the gremlin replied matter-of-factly. "Excuse me," he said to the stone creature. The creature's head turned in their direction.

"Yes?" his voice boomed and echoed throughout the entire cave.

"I need a place to hide," the gremlin said to the creature.

"Are you friends with the king?"

"Yes."

"Prove it."

"I'm Sarah," Sarah said instantly. "He's my friend and he needs a place to stay out of sight and out of mind."

"Well then, Sarah," the creature replied in a booming voice. "I will hide your little friend."

The gargoyle stepped aside off his pedestal and revealed a rather large hole in the wall. Well, large for the gremlin. Sarah wouldn't have been able to stand up in the hole, but the gremlin looked quite comfortable. He conjured a blanket out of thin air and used it to make a nice cozy bed for himself.

"Thank you, Sarah," the gremlin said, smiling as he placed his box in a hole in the gargoyle's pedestal.

"Are you sure you'll be alright?" Sarah asked. "What about food and water?"

"I'll be fine, don't worry about that," the gremlin replied. "I can fend for myself. How do you think kings survived here? Some of the rebellions and wars lasted weeks and months long."

Sarah smiled. "Alright then." She turned around and left, coming back out into the throne room again. She was walking out towards the door of the throne room when Jareth came in with the goblins, very clearly unsuccessful in their search.

Sarah kept her eyes down and walked out, hoping he wouldn't notice her. He didn't.

**Author's Note: ****Please review! Let us know what you think! :) Thanks to all our readers! 10 more reviews today, and we'll post again!**


	11. Chapter 11

**Author's Note:**** Hey everyone! Okay, so you may notice that we are updating two days early… Well, that's because I start school on Tuesday, and I'm traveling tomorrow, so our next update isn't going to be until THURSDAY! I know, it sucks, and I'm really sorry! But this and the next chapter are both slightly longer, so hopefully that will tide you over. So sorry again, but please review!**

**Disclaimer:**** We don't own Labyrinth or the characters.**

**This chapter was written by: Gaara's Little Girl**

Chapter Eleven

"Sarah?"

She lay in bed, eyes shut tight, hoping that he wouldn't notice that she was awake. Even if he knew, what could they possibly say to each other? A whole week had passed since their fight in the library, and since then, they'd barely said two words to each other. A bit of polite conversation here and there, but Jareth had barely come out of his room since then, and Sarah would avoid his gaze whenever he did. The tension between them had grown to a climax, though on the inside Sarah knew she was sick of fighting with him. It would have been easier to just let it all go, but she was proud, and besides, every time she looked at Jareth all she could see was Toby disappearing into the red mist between worlds.

Jareth sighed and sat down on the edge of the bed as he did so. He knew she was awake, but he couldn't think of anything to say. Even if he could, he didn't want her hearing his voice, which was hoarse from a combination of vomiting, coughing and lack of sleep. Thank god her eyes were closed, otherwise she may have seen him in all his disheveled glory; His hair was tangled, and stubble was starting to grow around his chin. His eyes were bloodshot with dark circles beneath them, and so he kept his gaze fixed on the floor as he spoke to her.

"Sarah… I… I'm sorry," he murmured softly. "For everything. Losing Toby, my behavior, everything. That probably means less than nothing to you, but it's true. And Sarah, I'm so tired… I'm tired of fighting with you. Can't we just… start this over? Please? Just tell me what you want…"

"I want my brother back," Sarah said, her eyes still closed. Jareth snorted with irritation.

"Something plausible, please. Give me something I can do,"

"You can go get my brother,"

"Sarah, I've already told you, I can't-"

"Then send me home!" she cried, sitting up in bed and glaring at him. She knew she was making things worse, but she was too tired and too homesick to care. "You know I don't want to be here, especially not with you! Just let me go home! I'm so miserable here!"

"Miserable?"

"Yes," Sarah huffed, crossing her arms. "I hate it here! I hate this whole stupid kingdom and everyone in it! I just want to get my baby brother and go home! You have no idea how awful this place is!"

"Don't I?"

The question caught Sarah off guard, and she faltered.

"I… N-no, you don't," she said, though the confidence had gone from her voice. Jareth laughed bitterly, his blue eyes seemed to cloud over for a second as he stared off into the distance.

"Sarah, let me tell you something about misery," he said, his voice soft and dangerously low, "It's a disease. It is not based on where you are, it's something that happens when the whole world comes crashing down around your ears. You say this place is miserable? Child, you don't know the meaning of the word. Don't interrupt. Sarah, I have been with you through every high and low of your life, and I promise you, no matter how much you kick and scream, you do not, nor will you _ever_ know what true misery is.

"Misery is loneliness. Misery is silent hatred. Misery is when no one in the world believe you. Misery is seeing her body lying broken on the floor and knowing it's your fault.

"Imagine the person you love most in the world. Now imagine watching them have their heart torn from their chest. Can you see them falling to the ground, laying there drenched in their own blood? And there's nothing you can do to save her. She's already dead. She was dead before she hit the ground, before you even entered the room. She never stood a chance. You never got to say goodbye.

"And you're forced to live with the memories. Every time you close your eyes, you see the terror in hers… and the hatred. The accusations and the anger. She died hating you because you weren't there. And the only way to apologize is to die, but you can't. You will live forever, and you will never die. Every night, you'll have the same nightmare, reliving the moment over and over. You'll live with the pain because you have no other choice. And you die every day without her. Over and over again. But she'll never forgive you, and you'll never forgive yourself. You can't. No matter how many times you die screaming her name, she will never forgive you. _That_ is misery. Life is misery, and every second you breathe, you will hate yourself for the breaths she will not take.

"Be grateful Sarah. Be grateful for your broken nails, and your failed math tests and your lost brother. I have seen your miseries, and I promise you, they are nothing compared to mine."

Jareth stood silently, his jaw set tight and his eyes still distant. He left, sweeping out onto the balcony and standing there silently in the moonlight.

It was several minutes before Sarah could bring herself to move. The pain in Jareth's eyes had kept her still, even though it had seemed more like he was talking to himself and not to her. She swallowed hard, watching him stand on her balcony. He wasn't moving at all, he simply stood there, staring blankly out into the night. She pushed herself up and slowly crawled out of bed, her footsteps soft and light as she walked over to him.

He didn't hear her approach, lost in thought as he was, and didn't even realize she was standing beside him until she took his hand. He looked down at her, as though someone had just shaken him from a deep sleep and he couldn't remember where he was. Sarah found that her throat had suddenly gone unbearably dry.

"You… miss her, don't you?" she said weakly. Jareth looked out over the labyrinth, then up at the full moon above, as though he were seeing them through a haze. He seemed to be looking at something that wasn't there.

"More and more every day," he said, absentmindedly. Sarah gave his hand a gentle squeeze, but when he did not respond, she gently wrapped her arms around him. She was surprised by how low his body temperature was, and she felt him swaying slightly as he stood there, but he didn't seem to notice. Jareth closed his eyes and hugged back tightly, and Sarah could feel his muscles shaking as he did so.

The first tears caught Sarah by surprise. They slipped down, landing in her hair and on her cheeks like morning dew, but sad and salty. She looked up and saw that Jareth's eyes were still shut tight, even as the tears rolled down his cheeks. It was almost frightening to see him so vulnerable, but he didn't seem to be able to stop the tears from coming. Sarah held him closer as his body began to shake with the sobs. Unable to stop herself, Sarah reached up to wipe the tears away from his face.

'_Kings shouldn't cry,'_ she thought vaguely, _'Jareth shouldn't cry,'_

She was surprised by how soft his cheeks were. She'd always expected them to be more like her father's, the softness having died away from them after time and stress had ravaged them as they had the rest of his face. But Jareth's were still soft, as though time had stopped only for him. He opened his eyes, the deep cerulean blue staring deeply into her own honey brown ones.

Their lips met gently and soundlessly. Sarah could feel Jareth's tears rolling down her cheeks as she pulled him closer, deeper into the kiss. He wrapped his arms around her waist as she gently cupped his face with her hands. She could feel him lifting her, carrying her back inside and laying her down on the bed. She gripped the collar of his shirt, pulling him onto her as she sank down into the sheets. His hips pressed against hers, rocking gently as he held her down against the bed. Sarah could feel the sheets beginning to tangle around her legs but she didn't care. There was nothing but the kiss, nothing but Jareth's body pressing against hers, begging for entry, and a kiss so hard, yet so gentle that Sarah could barely remember her own name.

And then it was over. He was pulling away, and Sarah felt a slight pang of disappointment. Jareth's unsteady breathing echoed through the room, and he lay down beside her, shaking. Sarah started to sit up, but Jareth grabbed her wrist, whimpering softly.

"Don't," he whispered hoarsely. "Please… Don't… St-stay with me,"

Sarah could feel the heat radiating from him as she lay back down. He wrapped an arm around her waist and pulled her closer. Sarah was unaware of the blood sliding down his stomach and legs, or the fever racing through his body. She only knew that he was curled up around her, his head on her chest and his arms wrapped protectively around her. He was unconscious within minutes, and she drifted off to sleep.

By the morning, he was gone, leaving Sarah with nothing but a few flecks of blood on her sheets, and the question of whether he had even been there at all…

**Author's Note:**** Please review! If we get 7 reviews, then we'll post the next chapter later on today!**


	12. Chapter 12

**Author's Note:**** Hey! Okay, so I don't have much time, because I'm leaving in a few minutes, but you should know that we exceeded our quota for reviews yesterday (seven) , which, as you all know, means we update again! YAY! So please keep those reviews coming, and let us know what you think!**

**Disclaimer:**** Don't own, never will… :'(**

**This chapter was written by: Gaara's Little Girl**

Chapter Twelve

"And he was gone! Just like that, without a word, he just left in the middle of the night!" Sarah exclaimed. The gremlin said nothing, he simply sat there, frowning as he listened to Sarah's tale. She'd been speaking to him for the last fifteen minutes, explaining the previous night's events. He hadn't seemed particularly interested until Sarah had mentioned the kiss. Ever since then, he'd becoming surly and even slightly aggressive, making her repeat the story several times and asking for more specific details. Did you kiss him or did he kiss you? Was it a friendship hug or something more? Did you sleep with him? Do you think he wanted to?

It was unnerving, but Sarah had complied, listing as many of the details as she could. Still, it had all happened so fast, and none of her answers seemed to hold enough information for the gremlin. His eyes grew darker and narrower with every word she spoke, and he seemed to be listening to her less and less, as he became more and more wrapped up in his own thoughts. And every time Sarah tried to ask him what was wrong, he would wave her away, murmuring something incoherent under his breath as he stared out into space.

Finally, he slid off the little rock upon which he sat and moved to pick up his music box. He held it up to Sarah, glaring at her.

"You hear that?"

Sarah frowned.

"Hear what?"

"My music box. Listen. The beat… it's fading," the gremlin said. He sounded distressed, his cold, high voice was harsh and urgent.

"And do you know why?"

Sarah shook her head.

"Because you're a silly little twit, that's why!" he exclaimed, glaring at her. "It's a warning! You're getting much too close to Jareth. Don't you remember all the pain he's put you through? He lost your baby brother, and hasn't even started to try and look for him! And yet there you go, sashaying around the castle, pretending everything is perfectly fine! You've let him get to you… you're letting him in too much! Trust me, it will be better off if you just push him away as much as possible!"

Sarah bit her lip, frowning.

"You really think so?"

The gremlin nodded.

"Trust me, would I lie to you?" he said, giving her a small smile which came out as more of a leer.

"The music box never lies. Stay away from Jareth. He's bad news. He'll steal your heart, and then where will you be? You'll end up just like Iris," he said, matter-of-factly. Sarah glanced at the small box the gremlin held and let out a soft sigh. He patted her hand gently.

"Trust me Sarah, it's for the best,"

-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Jareth opened his eyes, but was immediately forced to shut them again as bright afternoon sunlight shone directly into his eyes. He whimpered softly, placing a hand on his throbbing head as he reached out onto the bed beside him.

She wasn't there.

Jareth sat up, blinking and confused, but immediately fell back with a cry of pain as he felt the wound in his stomach tense up with pain. He lay back against the pillows coughing, and looked around, surprised to find that he was in his room again. Someone had changed his bandages, and applied a wet towel to his forehead. He heard a soft grunting sound, and he turned to see Hoggle approaching him with a small glass. He frowned.

"Hoggle? What are you doing,"

The dwarf smiled at him.

"Just bringing you some water, like you asked," he said, handing Jareth the glass. Jareth took the glass, frowning slightly.

"That's… kind of you," he said, "But I never asked for water,"

"Oh yes you did sir," Hoggle said as he checked the king's bandages.

"Just a moment ago. Course, you're fever was worse then, so you probably don't remember much of that conversation," he chuckled. Jareth frowned at the clear liquid in the glass.

"Fever?"

"Yes sir. You came stumbling into my room in the middle of the night, saying something about bleeding through your bandages, and needing water… Oh, and Sarah," Hoggle smirked slightly. "Said quite a little bit about the little lady in your fever dreams,"

Jareth felt a flush of color seep into his cheeks and he took a large drink of water, half choking himself as he did so.

"D-did I?"

"Oh yes, but don't worry Your Majesty. You know me. I won't say a word," Hoggle touched the side of his large nose knowingly, smiling. Jareth allowed himself a wry smile.

"Yes, well… Good," he said, taking another sip of water. As Hoggle replaced the wet towel on his forehead, Jareth allowed himself to back into his own thoughts. He could barely remember the last time he had woken up so confused and in pain, though the memories of what had proceeded were still as clear and bright in his memory as the blood stains that spread across his bed sheets.

_Jareth lay in the dust, his head swimming as blood pooled around him as he lay on the side of the road. Cuts and bruises covered his body, and a large chunk of his flesh was missing from his chest where the wolf had bitten him. It was a stupid mistake. Wandering around in the forest at night, it was only to be expected that something or other would attack him. He hadn't a weapon to his name, and to think that in his food-deprived condition that he could take on a full grown male wolf alone…_

_A noise from the brush just ahead of him caught his attention. He closed his eyes, trying to remain as silent as possible._

'It's come back for me'_ he thought miserably, _'I'm going to die here… I'm about to die…'

_He stiffened when he first felt the cold thing running across his cheek, but he quickly realized it was a hand. The long bony fingers ran across his cheek and throat, stopping at random intervals. Someone was checking to see if he was alive. He opened his eyes, but in his weakened condition, he was unable to scream._

_The thing that stared down at him from beneath the ragged hooded cloak was something out of a nightmare. Its skin was leathery, stretched tight across its small body. It looked like a goblin, but it's ears were too pointed, its fingers too claw like, and its eyes were beady and narrowed. It leered at him, showing its pointed little fangs as its eyes glinted in the moonlight._

"_Need help?"_

_Jareth whimpered and tried to pull away, but the thing held him down, grinning evilly at him._

"_Relax," it said, "I'm a friend,"_

_It pulled a small flask from under its cloak and pressed it against Jareth's lips. The cool water slid down his throat, and Jareth drank gratefully, as the creature watched him, chuckling._

"_That's it, that's a good boy Jareth. Drink up, that's it,"_

_Jareth coughed weakly._

"_H-how do you know my name?" he asked, his voice hoarse and barely audible. The creature smiled._

"_I know quite a lot about you Jareth. But never mind that, we have much more important things to discuss. I've come to make a deal with you,"_

_Jareth frowned._

"_What kind of a deal?"_

_The creature smiled._

"_How would you like to live forever? No sword or poison could ever kill you… Not time or old age. Nothing. You would never die… Ever. And I can give you power. Unlimited magical abilities, to be envied throughout the world..."_

'Don't do it,' _a voice in the back of Jareth's mind warned. _'It's too good to be true… Stop now, don't ask any more…'

"_What's the catch?"_

_The creature leered at him, its eyes glimmering._

"_No catch… well, not really. It's a fair trade. I give you immortality and unbelievable magical abilities… You give me your heart,"_

_Jareth could feel the color drain from his face._

"_M-my heart?" he whispered._

"_Such a silly, useless little thing really. You should be happy I'm taking it off your hands," he said, picking at some dirt beneath his nail. He smirked. "You should hurry now. Your time is short,"_

_Jareth hesitated. He could feel an ancient sort of tiredness pulling at the back of his eyes, something older than time itself. The tips of his fingers had started to go numb, and the creature's voice seemed to be drifting further and further away. He was frightened. He wasn't ready to die…_

"_Alright," he said weakly. "I'll do it,"_

_The creature's laughter echoed down the road, and there was a flash of blue light. Jareth felt a sharp pain in his chest, and he screamed. A cold ripple ran through his body, and the tiredness that had been pulling at him disappeared. When he looked up again, the creature was gone, and a carriage was trundling its way up the road._

Jareth sighed and opened his eyes, thinking. That was the night he lost his heart, and he'd lost it again several months later when Iris died. The creature had returned, claiming that Jareth had cheated him and given Iris his heart, and that he had come back for his rightful property. He had killed Iris, tearing her heart from her chest, and placing it in a small wooden box before he disappeared into the darkness. Jareth had spent years searching for the creature, but he never found it. It was out there, somewhere in the labyrinth, right underneath his nose, mocking him silently from the shadows.

"Your Majesty?"

Jareth blinked and noticed Hoggle giving him a worried look. He forced a smile and looked away, intently staring at his pale hands, which were clenched tight onto his bed sheets.

"You," Hoggle said, "Have something important on your mind,"

Jareth shook his head and waved a hand absentmindedly.

"It's nothing. Just… a memory," he said distantly. "You can go now if you wish, I'll be alright."

Hoggle nodded reluctantly, and started to walk away when a shadow of a thought flickered across Jareth's mind.

"Wait,"

Hoggle turned back, and Jareth, suddenly embarrassed, looked away.

"It's… it's not a good idea for me to keep Sarah here, is it?" he murmured. Hoggle frowned, unsure of what to say, or what the king was talking about.

"Sir?"

"She… isn't safe here, is she?" he said absentmindedly. "I can't keep her here. Not when she's in so much danger. I can't keep her safe. I couldn't even keep Iris safe…"

He was drifting in and out of thought, and Hoggle could see the feverish flush beginning to rise in his cheeks again when the king turned to him, a desperate look in his eyes.

"I have to do what she wants…. I can't keep her here if she doesn't want to be here…. If she's not safe," Jareth said. Hoggle moved over to the king and re-wet the towel on his forehead.

"You're the king," he said softly, smiling weakly. "You can do anything you want,"

Jareth nodded weakly and closed his eyes.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

"Sarah?"

She looked up. It was early evening, and she had been in her room, absentmindedly drifting around when Jareth had entered. He looked tired and strained, but his voice was determined.

"Sarah, what do you want?"

"What do you mean?" she asked, frowning. "You just came into my room and-"

"No, not like that," he said, waving a hand as though waving away an irritating fly. "I mean what do you want? Really. What's the one thing you want in the world?"

Sarah paused. Her conversation with the gremlin briefly flashed through her mind and she bit her lip hard.

"I want… I want my brother back. And I want to go home," she blurted. Something flickered behind Jareth's eyes, but his face remained impassive as he looked at her. There was a seconds silence before he spoke again.

"So be it,"

And then he was gone.

**Author's Note:**** What do you think? Review and let us know! See you all on Thursday!**


	13. Chapter 13

**Author's Note: ****Hey everyone! We're back! Okay, so start expecting updates later in the afternoon, since summer break is officially over :'( But they'll still come every Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday! Don't forget to review!**

**Disclaimer:**** We don't own Labyrinth or the characters…**

**This chapter was written by: Gaara's Little Girl**

Chapter Thirteen

By noon the next day, the entire kingdom was in an uproar. Jareth was gone. He'd slipped away without warning in the middle of the night and had not been seen since his brief encounter with Sarah. The nagging sensation that she knew where Jareth had gone continued to follow Sarah throughout the day, but she kept it to herself. Jareth was cocky and arrogant, but he wasn't stupid. Had Sarah known how sick the goblin king had truly been the night before when he had gone to see her, she would have been able to understand why Hoggle was so upset. But instead, she simply assumed that he was just worried about his friend, and so she tolerated his questions at first, but soon her sympathy turned into annoyance.

"I've already told you Hoggle!" she said, "He came into my room. No, I don't know what time. Yes, he was fully dressed like he was going somewhere. No, he didn't say where he was going or anything like that! What more information can you possibly want from me?"

Hoggle sighed and ran a scarred hand over his face, pinching the bridge of his nose hard.

"Sarah, you don't understand! He's sick! He shouldn't just be wandering away like that! We've already sent scouts into the labyrinth but-"

"But you need more information, I know, I know," Sarah sighed. "But I don't know anything else, I swear!"

Hoggle gave her a distrustful look, but he didn't say anything. Sarah frowned. She'd never seen the dwarf so agitated, but then again she didn't usually see him when he wasn't in the shadow of the king. He was shifting a lot, bouncing from foot to foot and licking his lips as he glanced around nervously. Sarah forced a weak smile.

"Hoggle, I'm sure he's fine. He can take care of himself,"

Hoggle rolls his eyes.

"Not in his current state," he murmured under his breath. Sarah frowned.

"What's the big deal? So he wandered away! He has magical powers and can teleport himself out of harm's way! It's not like he can't defend himself. And besides, he's lucky! He can leave whenever he wants to… Not like me," she grumbled. The dwarf's temper, which he had struggled so long to control , finally exploded from him.

"Oh will you _shut up_!" Hoggle snapped. "For once, will you stop acting like such a self-centered little brat, and think of someone other than yourself or your brother? He's gone. That's not likely to change. I'm sorry, but that's the way it is! I know Jareth, and if he knew where Toby was, he'd find him. I can't believe you can be so blind to everything he's done and is trying to do for you!

"Do you know how many creatures in this place are just dying to hurt you, just for the sake of hurting you? Why do you think Jareth keeps you in the castle? Because he's some twisted bastard who enjoys seeing you unhappy? No! He cares about you, and he's trying to keep you safe! He could have just left you anywhere and let you fend for yourself, but he didn't! He clothed you, fed you, kept you warm and safe and away from anything that would try to harm you! And yet you ignore him, or scream at him as though you're an infant yourself!

"You're here so he can keep you safe. And believe me, if he had the strength to go find your brother, he would. He loves you Sarah! Don't you know he'd do anything for you? Why do you think he bothers to talk to you, or makes an effort to spend time with you! Your attitude is killing him more than the poison is. All he ever did was love you, and all you ever do is push him away!"

They both stood there, breathing hard as the realization of what Hoggle had just said dawned upon them both. The dwarf clapped his hands over his mouth, mortified.

"I… I've said too much," he said, a deep blush creeping up his cheeks as he fled the room. Sarah remained rooted to the spot, unable to think or move as memories of her journey flashed through her mind.

_Jareth catching her hand and holding her close when she had almost followed Toby into the abyss…_

_Jareth protecting her from the goblins when she had first tried to escape, and wound up lost in the city…_

_Him rescuing her from the Fire Gang…_

_Dancing with him by the lake in the rain…_

_The kiss…_

And it all clicked. That sadness that always seemed to hang about his eyes when he looked at her, and every little think he did seemed to fall into place.

Sarah burst into tears.

'_He'll be okay,'_ she tried to tell herself. _'He can take care of himself… the same way he takes care of me… He'll be alright,'_

But three days passed, and Jareth did not return. Three days and three nights, but there was no sign of him. Jareth was gone.

**Author's Note:**** Please review! Tell us what you think!**


	14. Chapter 14

**Author's Note:**** Hey everyone! So, this chapter is INCREDIBLY short, and I felt really bad about that, so I'm going to post chapter 15 today as well! YAY! Please review! Please?**

**Disclaimer:**** Still don't own Labyrinth or any of the characters… Such a pity…**

**This chapter was written by: Epic Failing Again**

Chapter Fourteen

Sir Didymus, a fox-like creature with a terrible sense of smell, was riding his noble steed Ambrosius around the Bog of Eternal Stench when he came across a peculiar sight: a baby boy who couldn't be older than one or two, crawling around on the dirt floor.

"Well, well, what have we here?" he asked his steed, dismounting and walking over to the child. A bloody hand caught his attention. Sir Didymus walked a little further, and found Jareth, king of the goblins lying on the ground, deathly pale and barely able to move.

Sir Didymus started howling, attracting the attention of one of the search parties heard him from a distance off. The search party lifted Jareth and carried him all the way to the castle.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-

"Where is he? Where is he?" Sarah was running through the castle to Jareth's bedroom after hearing that Jareth had returned. "What happened?"

"I got your baby brother?" Jareth asked in a hoarse voice. She could barely hear him over the murmur of goblins and the cries of a baby.

"Toby?" She ran over. Toby was sitting there in the middle of a circle of goblins, crying out of fear. "Toby!" Sarah picked Toby up and hugged him. Now she knew where Toby was, there was Jareth, lying on the bed, soaking both the sheets and mattress in blood, deathly pale and suffering the greatest pain of his life.

"I don't know about you, Sarah, but I think the bloodless looks quite good on me," Jareth said, looking into a small hand mirror. All the goblins started laughing, but Sarah wasn't amused. He looked at her and gave her a weak smile. "Go on, laugh."

"I-I-I can't," She stammered, trying to hold back her tears. Jareth closed his eyes.

"Such a pity," he whispered softly, before fainting.

**Author's Note:**** Well? What do you think? Review and let us know! Also, check out Epic Failing Again's newest story, The Girl in the Photograph! It's a continuation of this story, and it's pretty cool!**


	15. Chapter 15

**Author's Note: ****Okay, so here's chapter fifteen! And I'm sorry these chapters are so very short, but hey, at least they're enjoyable (or at least, we hope they are!) Please review and tell us how we're doing!**

**Disclaimer:**** We don't, nor shall we ever, own Labyrinth or its characters… This is the thought that haunts me at night… (sob sob)!**

**This chapter was written by: Epic Failing Again**

Chapter Fifteen

"How is he, Hoggle?" Sarah asked, putting Toby in a small crib for his nap.

"Same as before," Hoggle replied. "I have never seen an injury before with such a deadly blade."

"Deadly blade?" Sarah froze. "Deadly blade, huh?"

"Yes, what are you thinking?"

Sarah absentmindedly wandered over to the wardrobe and opened it, looking at the dresses inside. Four were in an order that interested her: yellow, red, white and pink. "How do you usually cure poisons?" Sarah asked.

"There's usually one specific plant that you either have to burn and let the poisoned person breath in the smoke, or they have to eat it," Hoggle replied. "Most of the time, either works."

Sarah looked blankly at her wardrobe. "Yellow, red, white and pink," she said absentmindedly.

"I know the jump rope rhyme," Hoggle snapped at Sarah. "Kid's stuff."

"No it's not kid's stuff," Sarah said, still in a daze, looking outside her window at the daffodils growing outside. "It's a flower; a kind of flower that comes in yellow, red white and pink. We're taught to believe it's a poison, but it's really a cure to a deadly blade."

"Like what?" Hoggle asked.

Sarah thought for a minute. "What about humans? There are thousands of poisonous plants which are poisonous plants." She wasn't very good at botany, but she thought back to where she and Jareth had gone that afternoon on their picnic and the flowers that grew there.

"Oleander," Sarah replied. "Oleander comes in those four colors and is generally thought to be poisonous. Where can we find some?"

Hoggle and Sarah dashed out the doors to the castle in search of oleander. It wasn't very hard to find. It grew right outside the city walls, keeping unwanted creatures out. Sarah grabbed a huge hand full of the plant, not caring about its poisonous effect on humans.

Oleander in hand, they ran back to the castle and into Jareth's room. Hoggle had a goblin go fetch a match and something to put the oleander in. Sarah barely noticed her own irritated skin and the rapid effect of the oleander on her.

The goblin came back with a burning stick and a ceramic bowl. Sarah placed the flower in the ceramic bowl and lit them on fire with the stick. There was a great deal of smoke since the plant was still moist, but it seemed to do the trick. Jareth's stomach wound finally closed and Jareth stirred slightly, opening his eyes.

Sarah smiled at him. "I found the cure," she whispered. Her muscles then began shaking uncontrollably and before anyone could do more than stare at her, Sarah collapsed in a seizure.

**Author's Note:**** What do you think? Keep those wonderful reviews coming to let us know! Eight (8) reviews, and we'll post again! Wouldn't that be nice… three chapters in one day! But it's all up to you!**


	16. Chapter 16

**Author's Note:**** Talk about a quick response! Thanks so much to all of you who reviewed! This update is for you! Keep those reviews coming, and tell us how you like it!**

**Disclaimer:**** Still don't own :'(**

**This chapter was written by: Epic Failing Again**

Chapter Sixteen

_She was running through a dark tunnel to an unknown destination, her shadow stretched out in front of her. She could feel herself drawing closer to her destination with every stride she took; the excitement of arriving just barely contained as she ran, not even glancing back at the light she was leaving behind._

_ "Sarah!" a voice called behind her. She didn't turn around. She kept running. No one could stop her. She was going and she wasn't to turn back now. She had gone too far for second thoughts._

_ Someone grabbed her from behind, held her to them, preventing her from going on. "Sarah," a voice whispered in her ear, echoing along the entire hallway. She knew that voice, the feel of those strong and sure hands wrapping themselves around her waist from behind, the breath tickling her neck sending shivers down her spine, the voice in her ear._

_ Jareth held her to him, resting his chin on her shoulder and whispering in her ear. "Sarah come back… come back to me." It was a plea. She couldn't ignore it. I can't, she thought. I have to go on. But when she tried to respond to him, the words caught in her throat. She stood there, allowing him to hold her and then and there realized that the way she was traveling was no longer the right path. Suddenly, going into the darkness wasn't so important to her anymore._

_ "Promise me," he whispered, sending chills down her spine, his voice echoing. "Promise me you'll never leave."_

_ Sarah turned to face him, unable to see his face because it was in shadow. "I promise," she whispered to him. He kissed her._

Sarah moaned. She felt so weak all over. A hand brushed through her hair and she felt a wet cloth on her forehead. "Sarah," a voice whispered.

She opened her eyes to find Jareth sitting there with a cloth in his hand, gently wiping the sweat off her brow. "Hey," she whispered. He looked fine. A little pale and thin, but healthy and alive.

Jareth smiled weakly at her. "Hey."

She looked at him, not sure what to say. She slowly lifted a shaking hand and took his hand in hers. The cloth disappeared instantly and she and Jareth just sat there for what felt like an eternity, looking into each other's eyes without saying anything.

"Sarah," he said finally, breaking the silence and looking away. "In a few days you'll be well enough to go home." She could see the unbearable pain in his eyes as he said those words, not wanting to let her go, but wanting what she wanted. She had to tell him.

"I don't want to go," she said, looking at him. His head snapped up and his eyes, full of surprise, met hers.

"What?"

"I don't want to go," she replied.

"Why-what do you mean?"

"All this time, I thought I'd been running from you," she gave a half-hearted laugh. "It turns out I was only running from me."

Jareth stared at her blankly. Then slowly, he leaned down and kissed her forehead. "As you wish, Sarah," he said and left the room.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Jareth held Toby in his arms, looking at the tiny baby. He'd never truly been fond of children, but this particular child had brought him and Sarah together and for that Jareth would always be grateful. "Good bye, Toby," he said and the baby disappeared, back into his parent's arms.

**Author's Note:**** Please review! Tell us what you think!**


	17. Chapter 17

**Author's Note:**** We just keep on updating today! We got another eight reviews, so I figured I'd post another chapter!**

**Disclaimer:**** We still don't own Labyrinth**

**This chapter was written by: Gaara's Little Girl**

Chapter Seventeen

"Hoggle, I think I'm in love,"

The statement caught the dwarf by surprise, and he blinked up at the goblin king, certain that he had misheard. At first, he thought it might have been Jareth slipping back into a fever; he had, after all, only been healed a few days ago, and his fevers had been flaring up at random times, though less severely. But when he caught sight of the king's face, he knew that was not the case.

"Sir?"

"I'm in love," Jareth repeated. He was sitting in the throne room, lounging horizontally in the crescent shaped throne as he watched the goblins around him going about their daily business of fighting, drinking and bullying chickens.

Jareth was just as surprised by his words as Hoggle was. The thought had occurred to him out of nowhere, as though he had been struck by lightning. He had mulled it over for quite some time, entertaining the idea with something between distain and amusement, but it wasn't until he had voiced it aloud that he felt the emotion stirring something deep within him. He smiled softly to himself, unsure of why the idea of being in love was so appealing to him. Perhaps it was because Sarah made him happy. Even though she was spoiled, self-centered and bad tempered, she still made him happy, which was something the goblin king had not been in a very long time.

He turned to the dwarf, who was still looking at him curiously.

"What do you do when you love someone?"

Hoggle thought about it. In truth, the dwarf had never been in love, and knew little about the emotion outside of a family setting. He shrugged.

"Well, I suppose you'd marry them," he said lamely. Jareth laughed, and Hoggle couldn't help but smile to himself. He knew the king wouldn't take him seriously. And besides, it didn't matter, there was little chance of Jareth and Sarah moving past anything beyond the boundary of friendship. Jareth on the other hand, was still staring blankly off into the distance, a soft smile still echoing in his eyes.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

"Gremlin?"

Sarah sat in her room, curled into a ball as she sat by the large arched window. The wind was playing with her hair, and the afternoon sun lit up her face. She heard a noise behind her, and knew the gremlin was with her. She kept her gaze on the labyrinth as she spoke, knowing that if she looked at her friend, she would lose the words before they even came.

"Gremlin… I think I know why I stayed. I don't know how to explain it, but I think I know… There's something keeping me here… it's got something to do with Jareth. He makes me feel… I don't know, special. Like, really happy, you know?"

The gremlin frowned.

"Sarah, do you remember what I said about not getting too close to him? Don't you remember what happened to Iris? She got too close, and he killed her,"

"See, now, I don't think he did," Sarah said, still staring out the window. The gremlin's eyes narrowed, the black and red of his eyes forming small slits in his pointed face.

"Oh, you don't, do you?"

Sarah turned when she heard the tone in his voice, and was surprised to see the creature glaring at her. She reached out to touch him, but he pulled away.

"So what, you're just going to believe him now? After everything he's done to you! After all the evidence you've seen and heard? I've done nothing but try to help you… keep you safe from him. But I see how it is. Jareth's going to be your sweet little hero. Well then _princess_, I hope you two enjoy your lives together!"

He disappeared with a pop, and Sarah let out a cry of dismay.

"Gremlin, wait! I didn't mean it!"

"Sarah?"

She whirled around and saw Hoggle standing in the doorway, giving her a strange look.

"H-Hoggle! I-… What are you doing here?" she said, blushing.

"I have a message for you… Who were you just talking to?" the dwarf asked, stepping into the room. Sarah forced a smile.

"Oh… no one, I just… was imagining a story to myself," she answered, laughing nervously. But it seemed to be enough for the dwarf, because he smiled at her. Sarah coughed awkwardly.

"So um… You had a message for me?"

"Oh yes, that's right!" Hoggle said, smiling. "Jareth has announced that there's going to be a ball in your honor,"

Sarah looked surprised.

"In… _my_ honor?"

"Yes… A sort of celebration of your decision to stay," Hoggle answered. Sarah smiled.

"That… actually doesn't sound too bad," she said.

"I'm glad you think so, because it's tonight!"

**Author's Note:**** Thanks so much! Keep up those reviews!**


	18. Chapter 18

**Author's Note:**** Hey everyone! Happy Tuesday! Here's the latest chapter, and I think you're going to like it! Please review and let us know!**

**Disclaimer:**** We still don't own Labyrinth or any of the characters… that's such a depressing fact :'(**

**This chapter was written by: Gaara's Little Girl**

Chapter Eighteen

"Care to dance?"

"Sarah shrieked and whirled around to see Jareth smiling at her. She blushed deeply as she took in his appearance.

'_He looks…good'_ she thought. He was almost unrecognizable in his navy blue suit and white ruffled shirt. His every move seemed so graceful and even the air around him seemed more regal. He looked every inch a sorcerer king, though his usually sarcastically amused expression still hovered on his face.

He reached out and Sarah couldn't help but smile as he led her to the dance floor. Jareth's eyes seemed a bit distant as they started to dance and Sarah found herself wondering if he was thinking of the lake side in the setting sun. Jareth caught her eye and they shared a brief, knowing smile.

"It's beautiful here," Sarah said. Jareth chuckled.

"Not quite so nice as the last time, but yes," he murmured. "Quite beautiful."

Sarah smiled, allowing her fingers to intertwine with his.

"You've outdone yourself," She said, glancing around the ballroom. He had, in fact. Jareth had spent the entire afternoon locked in the room, insisting on absolute privacy. Sarah had only caught a brief glimpse of the dusty, spider-webbed ballroom before the door had closed and magically sealed itself shut. Now, the entire room was made of a shining white marble and the pillars were gilded with gold and silver designs. An enormous chandelier made entirely of what looked like crystal bubbles hung from the ceiling, throwing webs of glittering light across the room. Large arch-shaped windows lined the walls, allowing a view of the deep night sky, the labyrinth and the forests and mountains beyond. The entire room was filled with music, though not a single instrument or singer could be seen. Tables had been set up on the perimeter and a huge buffet table sat on the west side of the room. Every few minutes the plates would magically refill themselves much to the delight of the creatures who surrounded them.

Jareth laughed softly. "My ego at work he said, looking around the room.

Every creature in the labyrinth had been invited to the ball, no matter their status or how far away they lived. Jareth didn't expect there to be any trouble though; no one was stupid enough to cause problems in the Goblin King's castle. Even the creatures who had no other language but their own understood the unspoken law. It was a night of peace. Tomorrow, they could kill and eat each other as much as they pleased.

"So you did all this," Sarah said, following the king's gaze, "Just for the sake of showing off?"

"You could say that," he replied, smiling wryly. He wrapped an arm around her waist, holding her close to him.

"I must say, you look… enchanting," he murmured, looking her over. Sarah blushed and glanced down at herself. The gown she wore was a deep emerald green with white lining.

'_She fills it out nicely,'_ Jareth thought, but was immediately disgusted with himself and pushed the thought out of his mind.

'_He seems nervous,'_ Sarah noted, watching him fidgeting awkwardly with his cuffs. She took his hands gently, and he looked at her. Their eyes locked, and for a second, the room seemed to go silent. Their bodies pressed closer together, and an odd sensation rushed through them; like water and electricity moving through their blood.

"Come with me," Jareth murmured, pulling Sarah out and onto the balcony.

The air was cold and there was a light breeze moving through the trees. Sarah shivered slightly and wrapped her arms around herself, glancing over at Jareth. He seemed preoccupied, playing with a crystal ball which had appeared in his hands, tossing it up and catching it again. Sarah stared out towards the horizon. The mountains rose up from the ground, large stone giants reaching up into the purple and black night sky. Stars glimmered like diamonds, and the crescent moon glowed yellow against the sky. She smiled.

"It's so beautiful," she said.

"Yes," Jareth said, his gaze still fixed on Sarah. His grip tightened on the crystal.

Sarah turned to say something to him, but was surprised to suddenly find herself alone. She felt a slight pang in her chest, and swallowed hard.

"Looking for me?" a soft voice said from behind her. Sarah turned and saw Jareth smiling at her sitting on the balcony railing. She blushed, a faint smile gracing her lips.

"Jareth-"

"Wait," he whispered. He held the crystal out to her, silently offering it to her. Sarah blinked as the crystal began to shrink and change shape. She gasped.

The ring glittered in the moonlight, the silver band set with sapphires far exceeding the beauty of the landscape. Sarah felt the breath catch in the back of her throat. She looked up at him, her expression blank.

Jareth felt a huge pit open up in his stomach. The expression on Sarah's face said it all.

She didn't love him back.

How could he have been so stupid? Hadn't she already told him she hated him? The idea that she had changed her mind was the most ridiculous thing in the world.

"Jareth… I… I…"

He closed his eyes, struggling to ignore the burning sensation welling up behind his lids.

'_Here it comes,'_ he thought. _'This is it…'_

She kissed him.

**Author's Note:**** SO? What do you think? Review to tell us! 15 more reviews, and we'll post again!**


	19. Chapter 19

**Author's Note:**** Just got the 15****th**** review, which means you all get another chapter! YAY! Please review!**

**Disclaimer: ****Don't own Labyrinth or the characters, and probably never will…**

**This chapter was written by: Epic Failing Again**

Chapter Nineteen

"Gremlin?" Sarah asked. It had taken weeks before she'd been able to see him, as Jareth had been in his throne room a lot more, recently.

The gargoyle stepped aside and the gremlin's hole was visible. The gremlin was sitting in the middle of the floor looking thoroughly bad tempered holding his wooden music box. "What's wrong?" she asked.

"Listen," the gremlin said, holding the music box to her ear.

"I don't hear anything," Sarah said, confused.

"Exactly," the gremlin said, "It's stopped playing. Do you know what this means?" he demanded, suddenly angry, shaking the box at her. There was no rattling from whatever was inside. "Well, do you?"

"No," Sarah replied. "What?"

"You have gotten way too close to Jareth!" he screamed, turning red.

"I guess you could say that," Sarah said, twisting the silver band around her finger. "I'm getting married, gremlin." Nothing could have prepared him for that to come out of Sarah's mouth. He stared at her, open mouthed for several long seconds before trying to speak.

The gremlin almost gagged. "WHAT?" Sarah showed him the ring, sapphire in the center.

"He asked me to marry him, gremlin. I said yes."

"I told you, all he wants is to mess with your heart too before he kills you like Iris," the gremlin said.

"I don't think so, though," Sarah said, nervously twisting the ring around her finger.

"Well then," the gremlin said. "Don't blame me if it turns out his heart isn't in it," he snapped, and the gargoyle stepped back into place, hiding the hole from view.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Sarah wandered through the castle aimlessly and heard voices coming from the room opposite Jareth's bedroom. She leaned in closer to hear.

"No, Hoggle you do not plan a wedding like that!" she heard Jareth exclaim.

"I'm sorry, your majesty," Hoggle replied. "I've never done anything like this before."

Sarah walked in. "Need help?" she asked, sighing.

"Yes," Hoggle replied. Jareth gave him a murderous stare.

"Here," Sarah said, looking at their layout on Jareth's desk. It was a map of the throne room, but magically moved and rearranged as Sarah pointed out all the flaws. Jareth put his arm around her as she worked, figuring out how to arrange the flowers around the alter. Hoggle slipped out of the room while Sarah changing the layout of the room.

Jareth was breathing down her neck as she worked, making it almost impossible to think. "Hey!" she said, not trying very hard to pull away. "Stop that."

"I'm sorry," he said, laughing.

"No you're not," Sarah muttered. Jareth sighed, but pulled her closer, kissing her cheek. "Ok, do you WANT to marry me or not?" Sarah asked, annoyed.

"I do," he whispered in her ear. "But you also happen to be sitting in here and you're beautiful."

"I love you," Sarah said to him kissing him before returning back to her work. "But save it for the wedding night." Jareth sighed.

"Yes ma'am."

**Author's Note: ****What did you think? Keep those review coming and tell us!**


	20. Chapter 20

**Author's Note: ****Hey everyone! Happy Thursday! Please don't forget to R&R!**

**Disclaimer:**** We don't own Labyrinth or any of the characters… sucks really…**

**This chapter was written by: Epic Failing Again**

Chapter Twenty

Sarah looked at herself in the mirror as a female goblin and her young daughter arranged her train and veil. It wasn't a dress she would have normally picked, but under the circumstances of marrying a king, she really didn't have much of a choice. The dress was a sleeveless satin white ball gown. Its bodice was a corset with small silver beaded flowers sewn into it. The skirt was white gauze stitched on in a pattern that reminded her of Belle's dress from Beauty and the Beast.

"You wook wovewy, miss Sawah," the small child said, looking at her.

"She's not lovely until Jareth says so," her mother snapped. Sarah liked the gown, but thought it was a little fancy. She could have done better with something will less of a skirt; an A-line or a mermaid would have done her quite nicely. "There you are, dear," the woman said, standing back. "You're ready."

"I don't think ready's the right word," Sarah replied nervously. The small child handed her up the bouquet of pink roses and Sarah carefully stepped off the pedestal she was standing on and almost fell over. Right, she thought. This is why I hate heels.

Trying not to trip on the hem of her dress, Sarah walked slowly out of her bedroom and down the hall, her legs shaking the entire way. The hallway suddenly felt so big and why was it such a long walk to the throne room?

After only tripping once, Sarah made it to the double doors that led into the entrance hall, her heart pounding so loudly she swore everyone could hear it. Sarah's flower girls, (the girls she'd played jump rope with a million years ago) left to sprinkle the aisle with deep red rose pedals.

Sarah tried to calm her nerves. She had nothing to be nervous about. _Calm down_, she told herself, _calm down_. The double doors opened for her, the wedding march started and she looked at the guests. They were all the same people who'd come to the ball where Jareth had proposed to her, give or take a few.

Sarah walked slowly down the aisle as slowly as she could, her heart racing. Get a grip! She thought, refusing to look at Jareth. Stare at the Wiseman about to marry them. Stare at the wise man. Stare at the wise man.

Sarah managed to make it ¾ of the way down the aisle before giving up and looking at Jareth. Her heart stopped. Jareth looked magnificent in his black suit. He'd added a cape with gold embroidery, which made him look even more regal than usual. Did he always have to rub it in to everyone that he was the king? His expression was so calm that Sarah almost got mad at him. Why did he get to be so calm while she was sweating like a sinner in church?

_I am nervous_, Jareth replied in her head. _I just do a much better job at hiding it._

Sarah gritted her teeth and, with some effort, kept walking at the same pace, determined to strangle him. _How would that look in history text books? The first time I marry, the bride ends up dead. The second time I marry I end up dead with the ruler of the country at stake? That's a lot of power-hungry people._

Sarah relaxed ever so slightly and finally made it down the aisle. She handed one of the flower girls the flowers and looked straight into Jareth's eyes. Sarah would never remember what happened next. One minute the wise man was rambling on and on about love, marriage and everything that came with it, standing by each other while she zoned out, the next Jareth had kissed her and they were officially married.

Jareth took her hand and together they walked back down the aisle, confetti pouring from the ceiling from an unknown source, laughing as they walked out of the room.

"I'll see you in a few minutes," Jareth whispered in here ear and he disappeared down another hallway.

Sarah was ushered back to her room by the goblin who'd dressed her and the goblin's daughter.

"Congwaduwations," the child said to Sarah, as she slipped out of the ball gown.

"Thank you," she said, stepping into another white satin dress. This dress was more Sarah's style: long, A-line, slim fit covered with beading. The goblin zipped up the back of Sarah's dress and she left her room.

Sarah turned towards the ball room where the reception was being held. "Hello, wife," Jareth whispered in her ear from behind. Sarah jumped.

"Stop doing that!" she said, turning to look at him. Jareth hung his head in mock sadness.

"Yes, ma'am," he said. He kissed her forehead. "Today is ours," Jareth said, kissing her forehead. Sarah smiled.

Jareth held out his arm for her and together they walked into the ballroom. Everyone clapped, cheered and whistled as they entered.

Jareth lead Sarah onto the dance floor and the band started playing _as the world falls down. _Together they twirled around, waltzing and eventually other people joined them. Soon, the floor was full of people waltzing. After what felt like hours of dancing, Sarah abandoned her partner and went to sit down and massage her feet. She looked at the clock: 8:30.

Was that possible? The ceremony had ended at 8:00. That couldn't have been only half an hour ago could it? Unless…the minute hand moved to 8:31. Five seconds later, it moved backwards to 8:30. Of course it was Jareth changing time again.

"Hello again," Jareth said, walking up to her. Sarah smiled.

"Hello," she said, looking up at him.

"Do you need something to drink?" Jareth asked, noting her flushed face.

"Yes. Can you get me some punch?" she asked.

"Yes ma'am," he said, bowing to her and left.

Sarah scanned the ballroom. Everything had turned out fine. It was all flawless planning on hers and Jareth's part. Sarah spotted Jareth easily, leaving the ballroom. He looked a little pale. Wondering if he was alright, Sarah followed him. He walked along several hallways until he entered her room.

Sarah followed him in, but the room was pitch black. And empty.

**Author's Note:**** So? Did you like it? Review and tell us what you think! Let's see if we can get 25 reviews today, if so, we'll post again!**


	21. Chapter 21

**Author's Note:**** I'm SOOOOO sorry we didn't post yesterday! My fault really… had a date, got distracted…. SO here's the new chapter! Hope you enjoy! Don't forget to review!**

**Disclaimer:**** We still don't own Labyrinth. HOWEVER, I did just watch it last night, so that kinda makes me a bit happier…**

**This chapter was written by: Gaara's Little Girl **

Chapter Twenty-One

Sarah blinked. She could have sworn that she had just seen Jareth enter her room, but it was empty. She sighed. It must have been a hallucination. She was imagining things due to stress brought on by the wedding.

She was just about to return to the ballroom when a firm pair of arms wrapped themselves around her waist and someone planted a kiss firmly on the back of her head. Sarah smiled.

"I knew I saw you," she murmured. She heard Jareth chuckle softly.

"I had to get you alone," he said. Sarah blushed and started to protest, but Jareth pressed a finger to her lips.

"It won't take long, I promise. Besides, the party is in full swing. They won't hear us… No one will even notice we're gone," he murmured, planting a kiss on the back of her neck. Sarah moaned softly as a cold shiver ran down her spine. She turned to face Jareth, but he held her still.

"No, no… stay put," he muttered. Sarah frowned.

"No," she said, turning around. He kissed her, and Sarah giggled. Jareth pulled her closer, his grip tight on her waist.

The door suddenly flew open, and Sarah looked up to see Jareth standing in the doorway. She blinked and pulled away, staring between the two men uncomprehendingly. The Jareth with his hands on her waist smiled at the one in the doorway.

"Ah… Your Majesty. So good of you to join us," he said, his voice suddenly high pitched and cold. The other narrowed his eyes as he stepped into the room.

"Get your hands off of her," he said, his blue eyes flashing dangerously. The Jareth holding Sarah smiled coldly.

"As you wish."

Sarah felt as though she had been hit hard in the stomach as an invisible rush of air threw her backwards into the mirror. She screamed as bits of mirror tore at her skin and dress, leaving thin lines of blood trailing through the satin. She looked up in time to see the man who had been holding her beginning to change shape, and within seconds the gremlin was standing before her.

"I warned you last time what would happen if you ever tried to marry again," the creature hissed at Jareth. "We had a deal! Your heart belongs to me!"

The gremlin picked up a shard of the broken mirror and started towards Sarah, but he had barely gone two paces when Jareth launched himself at the creature, knocking him to the ground. Sarah screamed as the two went tumbling to the floor, Jareth's hands wrapped around the gremlins throat.

"Stay. Away. From. My. Wife!" Jareth shouted, punctuating each word as he slammed the creature's head against the floor.

"Stop it!" Sarah screamed, "Jareth please! He's my friend! You're going to kill him!"

Jareth looked up, shock and anger mingling in his eyes.

"What?"

Without warning the gremlin shoved the fragment of mirror deep into Jareth's chest. Jareth cried out in pain and the gremlin took his opportunity to push the larger man off of him. He kicked Jareth hard in the face, smirking.

"Hurts don't it?" he sneered, "Almost as much as Iris. All this time, she's been with me. Can't you just imagine? Then again, why should I need to tell you what goes on behind closed doors,"

Jareth screamed with rage and threw himself at the gremlin, but one flick of the creatures wrist sent him flying into the wall. Jareth collapsed in a heap, stunned and dizzy and as he tried to force himself up again, he felt the gremlin's foot pressed hard across his throat. He struggled, choking and coughing as he tried to sit up, spots dancing in front of his eyes. He shut his eyes tight and ripped the jagged piece of mirror from his chest, slashing across the gremlin's foot. The gremlin howled in pain and stumbled away, clutching at the bleeding stump as he fell to the ground. Jareth stood up, growling. His eyes glowed a bright icy blue, and he pointed a hand at the sniveling creature.

Sarah felt the room's temperature drop at least twenty degrees, and the gremlin suddenly began screaming in pain. She didn't know what Jareth was doing, but the look in his eyes told her that there was nothing she could do to stop him.

"You killed my wife," Jareth said, his voice deathly calm. The gremlin shrieked, twisting and whimpering in pain.

"You killed her… stole the very breath from her lungs. I didn't even get a chance to say goodbye. I wonder, how many will you leave behind?"

The gremlin whimpered as Jareth knelt down beside him. He was still holding the shard of mirror in his hand, and he pressed it against the gremlin's cheek.

"This," he said, "Is for stealing my heart,"

With one swift movement, he sliced deeply into the gremlin's flesh. The creature screamed and Jareth calmly selected another place on his face.

"This, is for whatever you did with Sarah. This is for trying to hurt her. This is for touching her. This is for existing. And this," he said, raising the shard high, "Is for-"

There was a sudden flash of light, and Jareth suddenly went pale.

"Iris?"

She stood beside them, a ghostly projection hovering a few inches off the ground. Her blonde hair whipped around in an unseen wind and her green eyes shone dangerously. The knife fell from Jareth's hand.

"You killed me Jareth," Iris said. Jareth flinched, obviously shaken.

"No… no I… I never…" he faltered. Iris continued glaring at him, and Jareth's grip on the gremlin unconsciously loosened.

"You killed me! You're a murderer Jareth. Admit it! Admit how you sold your heart to another and left me to die! You signed the contract to your immortality with my death, my own blood! You killed me Jareth! You're a murderer! Murderer!"

Iris's screams echoed around the room, and Jareth covered his ears, shutting his eyes tight as tears rolled down his cheeks. He was shaking, but out of the corner of her eye, Sarah saw the gremlin reaching for the broken mirror shard. She ran over, eyes wide.

"Jareth, look out!"

Jareth blinked as Sarah's cry brought him back to reality. The gremlin snarled and with one swift change in direction, he stabbed Sarah as hard as he could in the chest. Sarah's mouth opened in a silent scream as she fell to the ground.

Once again, the gremlin found himself flat on his back, staring into Jareth's icy blue eyes.

"No! Bring her back! Bring her back!" he screamed, his fist tight around the creature's throat. The gremlin gasped and struggled.

"Gah, I… I can't!" he choked. Jareth's eyes narrowed.

"Then make her immortal!" he hissed. There was a brief pause, then a flash of light.

"Okay, okay! She's immortal! Now let me up!" the gremlin cried. Jareth glanced up at Iris, who was still hovering beside them. He closed his eyes.

"No."

The gremlin's head fell to the floor with a thud, and Jareth dropped the rest of the body with contempt as Iris vanished.

A soft moan brought his attention back to Sarah, and he ran over to her, cradling her in his arms.

"Sarah?"

Her eyelids flickered slightly, and Jareth shook her.

"Sarah? Sarah no, please… Please!"

She didn't move. Jareth could feel tears welling up in his eyes, and an icy panic gripped him.

"Help!" he screamed, "Someone! Anyone, please, help!"

No one came. Sarah's head lolled gently against Jareth's chest as he pulled her closer, burying his face in her hair as tears rolled down his cheeks.

"Sarah… no… please," he whispered.

"D-don't… don't leave me…"

**Author's Note:**** Review and tell us what you think!**


	22. Chapter 22

**Author's Note:**** Hey everyone! Happy Tuesday! I just wanted to thank you all so very much for reading this story. You have no idea how much it means to us… Please keep up all the great reviews!**

**Disclaimer:**** We don't own Labyrinth or any of the characters… just the idea**

**This chapter was written by: Epic Failing Again**

Chapter Twenty-Two

Sarah moaned. Her chest felt like it was on fire. She couldn't move her limbs for fear her chest would explode. She felt like she was being suspended in midair with the choice to fly up and disappear forever into the clouds, or sink down into the darkness.

"Well, you did get stabbed in the chest," Jareth said. "You're also lying on the bed. If you want to fly away…actually, please don't. It took me long enough to convince you to stay here." He sounded like he was talking from a million miles away. "I'm right next to you."

Sarah groaned again and opened her eyes. If her thoughts weren't private, she might as well speak them aloud.

"They are, Sarah. You're talking out loud." Jareth was sitting there, playing with her hair and smiling at her.

"Hey," she whispered. What did you say after you made friends with the bane of your husband's existence?

"Hello, Sarah." He suddenly didn't look so happy anymore.

"I said that aloud, didn't I?"

"Yes you did. Don't worry about it," his expression was something between relief and anger.

"Sorry. You're mad, aren't you?"

"No," Jareth said carefully, closing his eyes.

"You sure?"

"Yes," he replied, opening his eyes again. "I'm absolutely furious." His eyes were icy blue again. He looked so tense, as if trying really hard not to rip her head off.

"I didn't know," Sarah muttered weakly in her defense. Jareth gave her an angry look and then sighed. His face read how do I explain without tearing her head off?

"I know, but still. Not everything in the labyrinth is your friend."

"I know but—"

"But what? You absolutely HAD to friend every single weird looking creature in the labyrinth? There's a reason even I don't wander aimlessly through the thing."

"Yeah, but you don't want to wander aimlessly through the whole thing."

"Sarah, don't anger me."

"You're already angry at me. What difference does it make?"

"Count yourself lucky the marriage vows include protecting and standing by each other through good times and bad, because this is definitely a bad time."

Sarah started laughing at him in a slightly raspy voice. "I've been doing that since the day we got married."

"Yes. All of three days."

"I've been unconscious for three days?" Sarah asked, panicking.

"Yes, and before you start complaining, I was the one who was conscious wondering whether or not you were going to make it."

Sarah gave him a death glare. "I still just wasted three days of my life."

"And in those three days, Hoggle fell down the stairs and spilled erosive ointment all over the floor, don't look like at me like that he is ok; two of the goblins got pecked by a chicken and I had the goblins move my throne three feet to the left to make room for the second one. Believe me Sarah, you didn't miss much."

Sarah rolled her eyes and tried to sit up. A sharp lightening-strike of pain hit her chest as she did so and she fell back against the white pillows, a tear running down her face.

"Are you alright?" Jareth asked, suddenly concerned as he wiped away the tear on her face.

"Yeah, just hurts to get up," Sarah muttered, wincing again, trying to raise herself.

"Then don't get up. I can think of quite a few things to do lying down," Jareth replied, winking at her. "You are my wife after all."

Sarah sighed. "It hurts to move," she muttered.

"Then don't bother. I can do all the work for you," Jareth said.

"That's not what I meant," Sarah sighed, closing her eyes.

"Is this where we have the whole confession of how long we've loved each other?" Jareth asked.

"If you want to," Sarah sighed.

"Well then, I've loved you since the day you were born."

"And I've loved you since yesterday."

"Really?"

"No. I've loved you since you saved me from the Fire Gang."

"That works for me," Jareth said. "So where does that leave us?"

"Married for three days and already arguing?"

"Well besides that."

"A husband who can't truly love his wife because his heart lies elsewhere?" Jareth gave her a nasty look.

"That's not funny," he said, glaring at her while twirling a strand of hair around his finger. "You know for a fact I lost that thing ages ago."

"Actually, the gremlin kept complaining that his 'music box' had stopped ticking." Jareth froze.

"What?"

"The music box stopped. That's why it was so easy to hide."

"So where is it?" Jareth asked.

"Behind the wooden door in the back of the throne room. Go down the stairs, make a left and it's behind the large stone gargoyle. The password is 'steady beat.'" Jareth stared at her with his mouth open.

"In my throne room?" he asked.

"Yes."

"Where most of the activity in the labyrinth happens?"

"Yes?"

"You-" Jareth struggled to contain himself, finally just marching out of the room, leaving a stunned and hurt Sarah behind him.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Jareth almost sprinted to the throne room, about to tear the head off of anyone who approached him. Luckily, he made it to the throne room without seeing anyone. Jareth ripped the fading tapestry back and slammed open the wooden door which splintered with the force. Had that infernal creature really been living here this whole time, befriending his wife?

Doubling over, Jareth moved as fast as he could. He took a left at the bottom of the stairs and stopped dead at the huge stone gargoyle. "Steady Beat," he said to the beast. It stepped aside.

Jareth almost blew the tunnel up in his frustration and fury. It _had _been here. A makeshift bed made with a blanket, some wax and a few crusts of bread told the whole story. Jareth barely contained his fury as he crawled inside, ransacking the place for the small wooden box he hadn't seen in so long. _It wasn't there._ He searched the place from top to bottom. To be fair, it didn't take too long; the place was tiny. Where could that creature and-no-Jareth refused to believe that Sarah had anything to do with the hiding of his heart.

To be fair, she hadn't known his heart was in the box but still. "Steady beat"? Was she some kind of moron? _Yes,_ a voice in the back of his head said. _But you knew that when you married her_. Jareth crawled out of the small space, determined to shake the location of the box out of Sarah when something caught his eye. The pedestal the gargoyle had been standing on had a rather large hole. Jareth slowly walked over and peeked inside.

It was sitting there, in the hole. He reached in and pulled it out, almost nervous about what was inside. He opened it. It was empty, but he felt different: lighter, happier than he had since the day he almost died. He put his hand to his chest, feeling the steady beat beneath his clothing. He smiled.

**Author's Note: ****Please review!**


	23. Epilogue

**Author's Note:**** The final chapter… Thank you so much for reading. Keep an eye out for the sequel! If we get 25 reviews, we'll post it! So please please, PLEASE review! And thank you all so much again…**

**Disclaimer:**** We don't own Labyrinth or any of the characters, but we've loved writing about them and sharing them with you!**

**This chapter was written by: Gaara's Little Girl**

Epilogue

Jareth could feel his heart pounding in his chest with every step he took. The hallway seemed abnormally small, too small for even a goblin, and even the air seemed thicker than usual. His every move seemed sluggish and awkward and his face was pink and a small amount of sweat dripped into his eyes.

The king looked down at his hands and was suddenly aware of how badly he was shaking. He leaned against the cold stone wall, willing himself to stay still. He wished he could make time move faster, but he knew it wouldn't do any good. That would just make it later in the day. It wouldn't help her or lessen the pain.

He couldn't remember the last time he'd been so nervous. Under normal circumstances, he may have been laughing. The very idea of a goblin king unable to function because of some mere mortal instinct like nerves was laughable. But Jareth wasn't laughing. There was too much at stake. Too much could go wrong, and then where would he be?

He started pacing again, unable to take the sense of claustrophobia growing inside him. His breathing was labored, and his chest felt hot and tight. Tears began welling up in his eyes and he could feel a scream building with the bile in the back of his throat. He couldn't take it anymore, he needed to escape: To disappear into the labyrinth or simply run as far and as fast as he could.

"Your Majesty?"

Jareth blinked in time to see Hoggle appear in Sarah's doorway. He rushed over to the dwarf, falling to his knees as he grabbed him by the shoulders and shook him hard.

"How is she? What happened in there? Is she… D-did she…" he couldn't bring himself to finish. Hoggle smiled knowingly.

"Go on and see for yourself,"

Jareth pushed the dwarf out of his way, heart hammering. He swallowed hard, nerving himself up for what was to come.

Sarah lay in bed, her brown hair disheveled and her cheeks a feverish pink. Sweat dripped down her face and she seemed pale and hollow with exhaustion, but she was smiling.

'_Still as beautiful as the day I married her,'_ Jareth thought. _'Hard to believe it's been three years since that day,'_

"Jareth?"

She was smiling at him, offering him the small white bundle she held at her breast. Jareth faltered, biting his lip as he glanced from the bundle to his wife. Hesitantly, he moved over to Sarah and gently took it from her smooth hands.

His son was almost a mirror image of what he had been as a child. The same slim face, pointed nose and white-blonde hair. Sarah's honey brown eyes blinked up at him as the infant began cooing gently. Jareth smiled, bewildered.

"My son," he whispered. And then he started to laugh.

"My son…" he glanced at Sarah and smiled. "Our son…"

"He needs a name you know," she murmured, closing her eyes. Jareth sat down on the bed beside her, cradling the infant boy.

He thought back to the beginning, when he'd first laid eyes on Sarah. Just as beautiful then as she was now.

"Toby,"

"What?" Sarah asked, opening her eyes. Jareth was smiling at her.

"Don't you think he looks a little like-… And I mean, he was the one who brought us together,"

Sarah looked at her husband and her son.

'_A perfect picture…'_ she thought, _'Maybe we'll have something to replace that painting of Iris with now,'_

She smiled.

"Toby, huh? It's… a good name. Fitting."

Jareth smiled and held out one hand. A crystal appeared in his fingertips and he held it out to the child.

"Toby," he murmured, "Look what I've got for you…"

Toby giggled and reached out, touching the crystal with his chubby little fingers. The ghost of a smile flickered across Jareth's face.

"That's right… It's a present,"


	24. Author's Note

**Author's Note:**** Hey everyone! Just wanted to let you all know that the sequel to Heartlessness has just been posted! Thank you so much for reading this story, and we hope you like the sequel just as much! It's called Playing Innocent, and I think you'll be surprised at who decides to drop by! Want to find out? Go to my profile page, and it should be the first thing posted under "My Stories"!**

**Hope you enjoy!**


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